Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Military Sites Program Finishes Projects, Steven D. Smith

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

International Outreach: The Southeast Prehistoric And Historic Landscapes Tour, J. Christopher Gillam

Faculty & Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

The Case For Trills: Giving The People And Their Pension Funds A Stake In The Wealth Of The Nation, Mark Kamstra, Robert J. Shiller

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We make the case for the U.S. government to issue a new security with a coupon tied to the United States’ current dollar GDP. This security might pay, for example, a coupon of one-trillionth of the GDP, and we propose the name “Trill” be used to refer to this new security. This new debt instrument should be of great interest to the Government for its stabilizing influence on the budget (as coupon payments fall in a recession with declining tax revenues) and for its yield, based on our valuation. Standard asset pricing analysis also suggests that Trills would enable important …

Optimal Comparison Of Misspecified Moment Restriction Models Under A Chosen Measure Of Fit, Vadim Marmer, Taisuke Otsu

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Suppose that the econometrician is interested in comparing two misspecified moment restriction models, where the comparison is performed in terms of some chosen measure of fit. This paper is concerned with describing an optimal test of the Vuong (1989) and Rivers and Vuong (2002) type null hypothesis that the two models are equivalent under the given measure of fit (the ranking may vary for different measures). We adopt the generalized Neyman-Pearson optimality criterion, which focuses on the decay rates of the type I and II error probabilities under fixed non-local alternatives, and derive an optimal but practically infeasible test. Then, …

Subjectivity In Inductive Inference, Itzhak Gilboa, Larry Samuelson

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper examines circumstances under which subjectivity enhances the effectiveness of inductive reasoning. We consider a game in which Fate chooses a data generating process and agents are characterized by inference rules that may be purely objective (or data-based) or may incorporate subjective considerations. The basic intuition is that agents who invoke no subjective considerations are doomed to “overfit” the data and therefore engage in ineffective learning. The analysis places no computational or memory limitations on the agents — the role for subjectivity emerges in the presence of unlimited reasoning powers.

Hyperbolic Discounting Is Rational: Valuing The Far Future With Uncertain Discount Rates, J. Doyne Farmer, John Geanakoplos

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Conventional economics supposes that agents value the present vs. the future using an exponential discounting function. In contrast, experiments with animals and humans suggest that agents are better described as hyperbolic discounters, whose discount function decays much more slowly at large times, as a power law. This is generally regarded as being time inconsistent or irrational. We show that when agents cannot be sure of their own future one-period discount rates, then hyperbolic discounting can become rational and exponential discounting irrational. This has important implications for environmental economics, as it implies a much larger weight for the far future.

Robustness, Infinitesimal Neighborhoods, And Moment Restrictions, Yuichi Kitamura, Taisuke Otsu, Kirill Evdokomov

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper is concerned with robust estimation under moment restrictions. A moment restriction model is semiparametric and distribution-free, therefore it imposes mild assumptions. Yet it is reasonable to expect that the probability law of observations may have some deviations from the ideal distribution being modeled, due to various factors such as measurement errors. It is then sensible to seek an estimation procedure that are robust against slight perturbation in the probability measure that generates observations. This paper considers local deviations within shrinking topological neighborhoods to develop its large sample theory, so that both bias and variance matter asymptotically. The main …

Nonparametric Identification Of Multinomial Choice Demand Models With Heterogeneous Consumers, Steven T. Berry, Philip A. Haile

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We consider identification of nonparametric random utility models of multinomial choice using “micro data,” i.e., observation of the characteristics and choices of individual consumers. Our model of preferences nests random coefficients discrete choice models widely used in practice with parametric functional form and distributional assumptions. However, the model is nonparametric and distribution free. It allows choice-specific unobservables, endogenous choice characteristics, unknown heteroskedasticity, and high-dimensional correlated taste shocks. Under standard “large support” and instrumental variables assumptions, we show identifiability of the random utility model. We demonstrate robustness of these results to relaxation of the large support condition and show that when …

Nonparametric Estimation In Random Coefficients Binary Choice Models, Eric Gautier, Yuichi Kitamura

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper considers random coefficients binary choice models. The main goal is to estimate the density of the random coefficients nonparametrically. This is an ill-posed inverse problem characterized by an integral transform. A new density estimator for the random coefficients is developed, utilizing Fourier-Laplace series on spheres. This approach offers a clear insight on the identification problem. More importantly, it leads to a closed form estimator formula that yields a simple plug-in procedure requiring no numerical optimization. The new estimator, therefore, is easy to implement in empirical applications, while being flexible about the treatment of unobserved heterogeneity. Extensions including treatments …

On The Asymptotic Optimality Of Empirical Likelihood For Testing Moment Restrictions, Yuichi Kitamura, Andres Santos, Azeem M. Shaikh

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

In this paper we make two contributions. First, we show by example that empirical likelihood and other commonly used tests for parametric moment restrictions, including the GMM-based J -test of Hansen (1982), are unable to control the rate at which the probability of a Type I error tends to zero. From this it follows that, for the optimality claim for empirical likelihood in Kitamura (2001) to hold, additional assumptions and qualifications need to be introduced. The example also reveals that empirical and parametric likelihood may have non-negligible differences for the types of properties we consider, even in models in which …

Narcissism, Self-Esteem, Self-Worth As Predictors Of Aggression, Grisel M. Garcia

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Previous research has shown a relationship between narcissism and aggression, and between narcissism and self-esteem. Indeed, aspects of narcissism predict both adjusted and maladjusted forms of functioning. Therefore, narcissism appears to be both adaptive and maladaptive. In the present study, maladjusted narcissism was directly correlated with aggression, while self-esteem was inversely correlated with aggression. Another objective of this research was to relate narcissism and aggression with contingencies of self-worth. Contingencies of self-worth consisted of two relational contingencies: internal and external. Most of the external contingencies of self-worth were related to aggression, lower self-esteem, and maladaptive narcissism. In contrast internal contingencies …

Outdoor Adventures, Self-Efficacy, And Proactive Work Behaviors, Jennifer Hopkins

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The modern work environment is characterized by continuous changes involving mergers, acquisitions, downsizing, and organizational restructuring. To persevere in this context, employees are now implicitly required to demonstrate more proactivity when carrying out their job functions. Although proactive work behaviors seem to predict career and organizational achievement, relatively little research has examined the underlying process that stimulates such behaviors in employees. The present research addressed this gap by testing the hypothesis that the positive relationship between successful completion of an outdoor adventure training (OA) program and future proactive work behaviors is mediated by a person’s self-efficacy. Two studies were conducted; …

Gender And Ptsd: What Can We Learn From Female Police Officers?, Michelle M. Lilly, Nnamdi Pole, Suzanne R. Best, Thomas Metzler, Charles R. Marmar

Psychology: Faculty Publications

Studies of civilians typically find that female gender is a risk factor for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Police and military studies often find no gender differences in PTSD. We compared 157 female police officers and 124 female civilians on several variables including trauma exposure, peritraumatic emotional distress, current somatization, and cumulative PTSD symptoms. We found that despite greater exposure to assaultive violence in the officer group, female civilians reported significantly more severe PTSD symptoms. Elevated PTSD symptoms in female civilians were explained by significantly more intense peritraumatic emotional distress among female civilians. We also found that female officers showed a …

What Is That Again?, Susan E. Murray

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

Supervision Experiences Of Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Psychologists-In-Training: A Qualitative Study, Cheryl L. Stolz

Theses and Dissertations

With little research on how LGB psychologists-in-training experience supervision and how supervision affects their development as professionals and as LGB individuals, this qualitative study investigated the experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) psychologists-in-training within the supervisory dyad. Included in the analysis were the developmental processes, both as LGB and as professionals, affected by the supervision relationship. Fourteen LGB participants were interviewed via telephone. Interview questions focused on where the individual was in terms of being “out,” what their overall experiences have been in supervision, and the impact of these supervisory relationships on their identity as LGB and as professionals. …

A Behavioral Health Intervention For Decreasing Weight Gain In First Year University Students, Sonia E.A. Marrone

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate two interventions proposed to improve health behaviors and decrease weight gain among first-year university students, utilizing a health risk appraisal (HRA), telephone health coaching, and monthly health-related emails. The HRA assessed and provided individualized feedback for several behavioral health risk factors. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) Health coaching (HC): HRA with individualized feedback, health coaching and health-related emails; (2) Minimal intervention: HRA with individualized feedback and monthly health-related emails; and (3) Control: HRA without feedback. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) tests were performed, adjusting for baseline levels …

A Rose By Any Other Name: An Examination Of Rural Lesbian Identities In The Upper Midwest, Kevin W. Martin

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the issue ofleshian identity presentation in the rural upper Midwest. The study focuses on how women in this area present themselves as lesbians. This was not expected to be a static process. On the contrary, recent developments in the sociological research of this topic have revealed (hat it is fluidic. Moreover, when applying the most recent models of expression, different lesbian identities are discernabie. Further, this process may be highly affected by symbolic interaction.

The data for this project were collected as two snapshots in time: 1995-97 and 2008. Women were recruited through a snowball sample technique …

Math Performance As A Function Of Math Anxiety And Arousal Performance Theory, Donald M. Farnsworth Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

While research continues to link increased math anxiety with reduced working memory, the exact nature of the relationship remains elusive. In addition, research regarding the extent of the impact math anxiety has on working memory is contradictory. This research clarifies the directional nature of math anxiety as it pertains to working memory, and the extent of impact it has in non-math tasks. Forty low, moderate, and high math anxious participants completed both a math and non-math working memory intensive task, several personality measures, and a series of progressively more taxing memory/attention tasks. There was no relationship between math anxiety and …

The Emergence Of An Own-Gender Bias Within A Change Blindness And Eyewitness Paradigm, Alison E. Finstad

Theses and Dissertations

Studies exploring the change blindness phenomenon have consistently shown that individuals are surprisingly poor at detecting changes to visual scenes and identities in real-world interactions. The area of eyewitness identification has revealed a similar type of visual processing error; specifically, the tendency for eyewitnesses to incorrectly identify a perpetrator. Recently, researchers have attempted to merge these two areas, creating a combined change blindness/eyewitness paradigm, allowing for the study of variables of similar interest within the two areas. Using this type of combined paradigm, the present study explored the possibility of an own-gender bias within a change blindness/eyewitness experience. Participants viewed …

Group Dynamics In Extreme Earth Environments: Analogs For Space Missions (Past And Present Expeditions Analysis), Matthew M. Allner

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Crew performance in space has become an increasing focus of many space faring nations due to the recent shift in focus of colonizing the Moon and then preparing to travel to Mars and beyond. This recent shift in focus to more long- duration missions has moved researchers in the direction of analyzing crew performance aspects associated win, crew dynamic development on such long missions. More recently researchers have been analyzing past expeditions carried out on Earth, as these expeditions kept records of crew performance, which have been compared and analyzed to those reported on space missions. Purpose: This study …

The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund : A Case Study, Mary Kathleen Gorman

Master's Theses

The 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund was the largest victim compensation fund in U.S. history, disseminating more than $7B federal tax monies directly to survivors, victims and their respective families following the terrorist attacks of that day. This represented an unprecedented effort on the part of the U.S. government to fully fund terrorism victim compensation within a no-fault framework intended, first and foremost, to protect the airline industry from potential economic ruin. But in so doing, the Fund compromised legal, ethical, economic and sociological principles on which victim compensation had been based since the inception of government. This interdisciplinary exploratory case …

Looking Into The Mind Of The Mother : Pup Exposure And Reactivation Of Maternal Circuits, Tricia Lauren Norkunas

Master's Theses

The female rat, among other species, undergoes a fundamental brain re-modeling as a consequence of experiencing the normal and natural events of pregnancy and offspring stimulation. Compelling data show that maternal experiences produce neurobiological modifications in the female leading to specific maternal behaviors, affective states, and the basic underlying female neurobiology necessary to raise viable offspring. This study aims to evaluate the number, quality and selective activation of neurons that develop during the maternal experience. The study showed a trend toward supporting the hypothesis that a “maternal-circuit” is formed through the proliferation of neurons during late-motherhood and lactation, and is …

Promoting Fathers' Engagement With Children: Preventive Interventions For Low-Income Families, Philip A. Cowan, Carolyn Pape Cowan, Marsha Kline Pruett, Kyle Pruett, Jessie J. Wong

School for Social Work: Faculty Publications

Few programs to enhance fathers' engagement with children have been systematically evaluated, especially for low-income minority populations. In this study, 289 couples from primarily low-income Mexican American and European American families were randomly assigned to one of three conditions and followed for 18 months: 16-week groups for fathers, 16-week groups for couples, or a 1-time informational meeting. Compared with families in the low-dose comparison condition, intervention families showed positive effects on fathers' engagement with their children, couple relationship quality, and children's problem behaviors. Participants in couples' groups showed more consistent, longer term positive effects than those in fathers-only groups. Intervention …

On Religious Freedom In The Slovak Republic, Lubomir Martin Ondrasek

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Oaklandteenzone: Humming Its Own New Tune, Anthony Bernier, N. Branch

Faculty Publications

On January 17, 2009, after years of planning, fundraising, and construction delays, the Oakland Public Library (OPL) finally overcame all obstacles and opened its much-anticipated, newly remodeled TeenZone Department. Planning began in 2001 with the vision that OPL TeenZone would accommodate, educate, and celebrate the city's youth; eight years later this teen space is fulfilling that mission.

Bookmarks 2009, Evelyn Barker

Information Literacy Resources-Archive

Bookmarks of students and faculty at UT Arlington.

Deep Economy (Reader's Guide), Chris Conway, Evelyn Barker

Information Literacy Resources-Archive

No abstract provided.

Assessing Stakeholder Opinions Of Medical Review Of Impaired Drivers And Fitness To Drive: Recommendations For Massachusetts, Nina M. Silverstein, Kelli Barton

Gerontology Institute Publications

Driving is the main mode of travel for Americans age 65 and older, and although older adults are generally found to be safe drivers, aging often brings about functional limitations and an increase in medications that can impede safe driving and fitness to drive (Rosenbloom, 2003; Kissinger, 2008; Adler & Silverstein, 2008). Effective licensing policies and Medical Advisory Board practices are critical components in identifying medically at-risk drivers and may even have a role in the transition to alternative transportation options; yet, states vary greatly in their approach to licensing and renewal practices and in the utilization, composition, and function …

Rrh Library Newsletter, August 2009, Libraries At Rochester Regional Health

Rochester Regional Health authored publications and proceedings

Newsletter sections include: A Multigenerational Nursing Workforce

Testing Gender Effects On The Mechanisms Explaining The Association Between Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms And Substance Use Frequency, Marina Bornovalova, Paige Ouimette, Aaron V Crawford, Roy Levy

Psychology Faculty Publications

The present study examines gender differences in the mechanisms that explain the association between PTSD symptoms and substance use frequency in a sample of 182 urban substance users. Specifically, the current study examined gender differences in the role of two potential explanatory variables, namely, difficulties controlling impulsive behavior when distressed (IMP), and a lack of emotional awareness and clarity (AW/CLAR). Multiple-group path modeling (across males and females) was used to examine gender differences in the path coefficients from PTSD symptoms to IMP and AW/CLAR, and from these latter variables to drug use frequency. Results indicated that PTSD symptoms were associated …