Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Predicting Athletic Performance: The Effects Of Judgment And Motivation, Matthew E. Smallwood

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of athlete motivation and judgment on the relationship between athletic ability and athletic performance. Much existing empirical literature has focused on motivation and cognitive ability in relation to athletic performance, but athlete judgment has received relatively little research attention. It was hypothesized that high performers will have stronger judgment and motivation scores than will lower performers. Results suggest the ability to make strategic decisions as operationalized by Systemic Judgment may be predictive of Athletic Performance.

Organizational Justice, Equity Sensitivity, And Workplace Attitudes, Tatiana B. Trevor

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Organizational justice is a multifaceted construct used to measure perceptions of equity within an organization. Utilizing hierarchical regression analysis, this study tested how equity sensitivity moderated the relationship between organizational justice and overall job attitudes, including job satisfaction and affective commitment. A sample of employees at one small and one medium southeastern university were used to demonstrate that equity sensitivity influenced perceptions of justice resulting in an increase or decrease in individual and organizationally-directed workplace attitudes. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

An Examination Of The Relationships Among Personality, Religiosity, Spirituality, And Mysticism, Matthew L. Campbell

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Empirical research has demonstrated differences between religiosity and spirituality; the current study further clarifies the constructs by exploring their respective divergent and convergent validities in relation to two higher-order factors of the Big Five personality variables, traditionalism and transformation. The current study examines the relationships among personality, spirituality, religiosity and mysticism. Predictions were partially supported. Participants high on traditionalism and low on transformation scored higher in extrinsic religious orientation compared to those low on traditionalism and high on transformation. Participants low on traditionalism and high on transformation did not score higher on spirituality compared to those high on traditionalism and …

The Relationship Between Personality, Stressors, And Strains Among Chinese Workers, Ju-Miao Cheng

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The present study examined how the Five Factor Model (FFM) personality traits influence the stress process experienced by manufacturing workers (N = 439) in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). More specifically, the mediating effects from perceived stressors (interpersonal conflict, quantitative workload, and role conflict, and role ambiguity) on the relationships between three FFM traits (neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness) with strains (depression, emotional exhaustion, and job satisfaction) were examined. The moderating effects of three FFM traits on the relationships between perceived stressors and strains were also examined. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses and multiple me diation bootstrap analyses were conducted to …

Judge, Jury, And Executioner: Organizational Factors That Affect Police Use Of Lethal Force, Mikaela Cooney

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

There currently exists an empirical gap in our knowledge of organizational factors as they relate to police use of lethal force. As a result of waning interest in macrolevel policing studies over the last three decades, the majority of our understanding of lethal force is derived from studies that specifically focus on microlevel factors (such as officer race or suspect behavior). The present study examined the relationship between organizational variables and the number of self-reported instances of lethal force by law enforcement officers. Departmental variables, jurisdictional characteristics, and the number of lethal force incidents reported annually were collected from law …

What Makes People Stay? Examining The Relationships Among Loyalty To Supervisor, Organizational Commitment And Intent To Turnover, Christie Cunningham

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Using survey data from a sample of 130 employees across a range of jobs in various organizations, the author examined the relationships among loyalty to supervisor, organizational commitment (affective, continuance, and normative), and intent to turnover. Regression analyses indicated that of the three forms of organizational commitment, only affective commitment fully mediated the relationship between loyalty to supervisor and intent to turnover. These results stress the importance of defining and creating a work environment in which both loyalty to supervisor and affective commitment are enhanced. Research implications, limitations, and areas for future research are also discussed.

How Teachers Perceive The "School Violence Issue", Leonce Crump Jr.

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The propensity to overestimate statistics, underestimate safety, and dramatically report crime is clearly seen in the issue of school violence. Violent crime in schools is rare, however, over publicized (Baily, Carona, Mebane, & Snell, 2002). Nonetheless any evidence of it arouses fear in teachers, students, and parents (Toby, 1983; Dworkin, Haney & Telschow, 1988; May, 1999; Smith & Smith, 2006). Since the recent exposure and coverage of school shootings, Americans seem to be gripped by fear over this issue (Burns & Crawford, 1999). This fear, in conjunction with a lack of clear communication on the part of the school system …

The Role Of Emotional Intelligence In Leadership Effectiveness: A Meta-Analysis, Ashleigh D. Farrar

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Leaders are an essential element of the business world. While good leaders can provide many benefits for an organization, unsuccessful leaders can be detrimental. The notion that emotional intelligence plays a part in whether a leader is effective or not effective has recently been introduced. This study sought to unify the literature evaluating the possible link between emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness. Meta- analytic techniques were used to analyze this relationship. Results revealed that overall, there is a positive relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness. Also, while the type of emotional intelligence measure used served as a moderator to …

The Effects Of Dolphin Education Programs On Visitors' Conservation-Related Knowledge, Attitude And Behavior, Lance Joseph Miller

Dissertations

Zoological institutions typically exhibit dolphins in educational programs such as dolphin shows and interaction programs. The goal of these programs is to entertain visitors while increasing their conservation-related knowledge, attitude and behavior towards dolphins and the marine environment. The purpose of the current study was to examine dolphin shows and interaction programs in terms of their effectiveness in meeting these goals. A multi-institutional study was conducted at six different facilities throughout the United States. A repeated measures design was used to examine the knowledge, attitude and behavior of visitors before, immediately after and three months following participation in dolphin shows …

Driving Anger, Sensation Seeking, Narcissism, And Driver's Angry Thoughts In The Prediction Of Unsafe Driving, Roy Preston White

Dissertations

The present study expanded the previous research on multivariate prediction of unsafe driving behaviors. Specifically, the utility of combining driving anger, sensation seeking, narcissism, and driver's angry thoughts variables in the prediction of various unsafe driving behaviors and driving anger expression were assessed. In addition the present study sought to explore the predictive utility of driving anger and sensation seeking in a non-college sample. Three hundred and forty-nine college students completed measures of driving anger, sensation seeking, narcissism, driver's angry thoughts, unsafe driving behavior, and driving anger expression. Ninety eight non-college participants completed a subset of the previously mentioned measures. …

Post-Forum Reflections: On Becoming Organizational Communication, Kathleen J. Krone

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

With this issue, my 3-year term as Forum Editor comes to a close. Dur¬ing that time I have been both inspired and humbled by the opportunity to work with scholars near and far to create space for what I envisioned could be a variety of conversations about organizational communication. I began my term when the journal was entering its 20th year, and Jim Barker and I decided to mark that event by seeking essays from previ¬ous Management Communication Quarterly editors reflecting on their vi¬sion and hopes for the journal, whether those were realized, and the chal¬lenges each faced at the …

The University Of Michigan Dioxin Exposure Study: Population Survey Results And Serum Concentrations For Polychlorinated Dioxins, Furans, And Biphenyls, Elizabeth Hedgeman, Qixuan Chen, Biling Hong, Chiung-Wen Chang, Kristen Olson, Kathleen Ladronka, Barbara Ward, Peter Adriaens, Avery Demond, Brenda W. Gillespie, James Lepkowski, Alfred Franzblau, David H. Garabrant

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Background: The University of Michigan Dioxin Exposure Study was undertaken to address concerns that the discharge of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) from the Dow Chemical Company in the Midland, Michigan, area had resulted in contamination of soils in the Tittabawassee River floodplain and the city of Midland, leading to an increase in residents’ body burdens of these compounds.

Objective: In this article we present descriptive statistics from the resident survey and sampling of human serum, household dust, and soil and compare them with other published values.

Methods: From a multistage random sample of populations in …

Taxing Under The Influence? : Corruption And U.S. State Beer Taxes, Per G. Fredriksson, Stephan Gohmann, Khawaja Mamun

WCBT Faculty Publications

This article examines the effect of state level corruption on state beer taxes in the United States. Our lobby group model predicts that corruption reduces the beer tax, but this effect is conditional on the level of alcohol-related vehicle deaths. Using a panel of state level data from 1982 to 2001, we find that increased corruption is associated with lower state beer tax rates. The magnitude of the effect, however, declines with increases in alcohol-related traffic deaths. Our findings suggest that future empirical work estimating the effect of alcohol taxes on alcohol-related traffic fatalities should treat alcohol taxes as endogenous.

Suicide Associated With Military Service, Margo R. Genderson, Irvin Sam Schonfeld, Mark S. Kaplan, Michael J. Lyons

Publications and Research

Suicide rates among soldiers and veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) have been steadily growing since 2004, with sharp increases observed more recently. Suicides in the Army are a growing concern on Capitol Hill and in the media. Last month, the Senate Armed Services Committee held hearings on the growing incidence of suicides across the armed forces (Federal city digest, 2009, March 18). The Associated Press (AP) underlined the increasing suicide rates among Army personnel (Army reports sharp rise in suicides in January, 2009, Feb. 5). According to the AP, there were 64 suicides in 2004, and …

The Effect Of Lipids On Recognition Thresholds And Intensity Ratings Of The Five Basic Tastes, Jennifer Ellen Thurgood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In addition to the contribution of lipids to food texture and aroma, the effect of lipids on taste perception is now commonly studied. It has been found that lipids may affect taste perception through lipid composition (i.e., cis-polyunsaturated fatty acids).

This study assessed the effect of lipid composition on the recognition thresholds of the basic tastes (i.e., sour, umami, bitter, salty, sweet) in emulsion model systems as well as taste intensities perceived at low suprathreshold concentrations. Taste thresholds and intensities in corresponding aqueous systems were determined for comparison. To evaluate the effect of lipid chemical composition on tastant detection, …

Rio Grande Hispanic Consumers' Perceptions Of Spanglish Dialogue Use In Print And Television Advertising, Nick Taylor

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Along with this population growth, greater affluence has occurred. Advertisers are taking notice of these facts and are scrambling to find the most effective way of marketing to Hispanics. Spanglish dialogue use in advertising is an increasingly popular method marketers use in attempts to advertise to Hispanics. The Texas/Mexico border provides a unique opportunity for the study of Spanglish in advertising. The population of the RGV identifies as overwhelmingly Hispanic, 89.1 percent according the U.S. Census Bureau (2006). The population of this region, then, represents the target audience of advertisements that utilize Spanglish dialogue. This study investigated the valence (positive, …

Sechin Alto Early Horizon Ceramics Assemblage, Omar Fonseca

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The focus of this thesis is to elaborate on the Early Horizon (900-200 B.C.) ceramic component at the site of Sechin Alto in the Casma Valley of Peru. The site of Sechin Alto consists of an enormous rectangular platform mound with four rectangular plazas and two circular courts and is considered to be part of the larger Sechin Alto Complex that spans 4 mile area (Fagan 1996:632). Sechin Alto is primarily an Initial Period (2150-1000 B.C.) site with an Early Horizon component superimposed above Initial Period material. This material was excavated in the field and analyzed in the laboratory during …

Health Care Accessibility Among A Hispanic Community In South Texas, Juan F. Lopez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Historically, residents who live along the southern Texas and northern Mexican border live below the poverty threshold. This study examines the likelihood, of the independent variables of age, sex, education, marital status, income, number of children, and residency status, in contributing to a community's accessibility to health care along the Texas-Mexican border. During the second half of the month of March 2009, a sample of 517 residents completed a health-care survey at four different branches of a community-based non-profit organization. The results suggest that age, education, income, and residency status had a significant effect on a respondent's likelihood of having …

A Concise Chronology Of The Rio Grande Delta From The Paleo-Indian Period To Early Spanish Exploration And Colonization, Kristina Solis

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The Rio Grande Delta's archaeological record is mostly unknown. This paper attempts to assemble scattered resources into a concise and understandable chronology of the Delta’s prehistoric cultures. The prehistoric environment is discussed to clear up the misconception that modern day and prehistoric environments were identical. Archaeological contributions are covered to illustrate the difficulties and successes that 20th century archaeologists experienced. Chapter III discusses a few major sites from the region to give an example of what archaeologists have discovered, and what kinds of cultural remnants have been found. A concise chronology covering the Paleo-Indian period through the Late Prehistoric follows. …

United States Food Law Update: Pasteurized Almonds And Country Of Origin Labeling, A. Bryan Endres

Journal of Food Law & Policy

The last six months of 2008 found the nation occupied with a heated presidential election campaign and the transition to a new party's control of the executive branch. The outgoing president, as is often the case in the waning months of an administration's time in office, attempted to finalize several policy initiatives. This version of the Food Law Update will discuss two major developments with significant long-term impact on the law of food: the implementation of mandatory country of origin labeling (COOL) for most unprocessed agricultural commodities; and the increasing use of the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural …

The U.S. Economic Crisis: Another "Lost Decade"?, Paula Chungsathaporn

Honors College Theses

America is experiencing the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression originating with problems from mortgage backed securities and seeping into every major sector in the economy. We have witnessed the downfall or government takeover of some of the most powerful companies in the country, contributing to the highest unemployment rate America has seen in decades. During the 1990s, Japan experienced what is commonly referred to as “the lost decade,” a period of prolonged stagnant growth. Many similarities can be drawn between the current U.S. crisis and the Japanese crisis of the late 90s. The macroeconomic conditions that caused the …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Spring 2009, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge.

The senior design competition helps to focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects …

Lsuhsc Facilities Daily Update: May 2009, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Daily Updates: 2009

LSUHSC Dailly Facilities Updates from May 2009.

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.

Lsuhsc Facilities Biweekly Update: May 2009, Lsuhsc Property And Facilities Management

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates: 2009

LSUHSC Facilities Biweekly Updates from May 8 and 22, 2009.

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.

Financial Instability, Reserves, And Central Bank Swap Lines In The Panic Of 2008, Maurice Obstfeld, Jay C. Shambaugh, Alan M. Taylor

Dartmouth Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Unconventional Means: Technology And Resistance In The Emergence Of Three Forms Of New Media, Caroline Stone

All Theses

The media change we currently witness, the numbers of newspapers that have recently folded, those that face a similar fate and the degree to which the death of print generally is predicted within and outside of academic circles, all call for more research into shifts in forms of media over time. From the first American colonial newspaper Publick Occurrences in 1690 in Boston, to the first punk rock zine Punk in New York City in 1975, to the emergence of the massively multi-player game World of Warcraft in 2004, understanding the factors which may have led to the emergence of …

Pedestrian And Bicycle Safety On A College Campus: Crash And Conflict Analyses With Recommended Design Alternatives For Clemson University, Gabe Dobbs

All Theses

The primary goal of this study is to investigate pedestrian and bicycle safety qualitatively and quantitatively on the campus of Clemson University and to provide recommendations for safety improvement based on these analyses. Because of heavy pedestrian and bicycle volumes, the well-being of these users is critical to the overall safety culture of a university. The analysis of crashes, pedestrian-vehicle conflict data, vehicular speeds and volumes, and crosswalk facility characteristics on Clemson's campus enabled the development of a prioritization scheme for the selection of pedestrian crossing sites for design improvement. These data components were utilized in verifying the validity of …

Incentives And Disincentives For Day Visitors To Park And Ride Public Transportation At Acadia National Park, Frank Holly

All Theses

Acadia National Park, located on Maine's Mount Desert Island, attracts over 2 million visitors each year (National Park Service, 2009). To protect the park's natural resources and provide for superior visitor experiences, the National Park Service established the fare-free Island Explorer bus service in 1999 to transport visitors around the park and to surrounding destinations on Mount Desert Island. This service has seen a steady increase in annual ridership, and will further expand in the future with the completion of an off-island park-and-ride transit hub called the Acadia Gateway Center. The facility would serve as a place for day visitors …

Contracting In The Pharmaceutical Industry: Predicting Payments In Strategic Alliances, Jonathan Altman

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT
This paper empirically analyzes how circumstances affect the creation of strategic alliances in the pharmaceutical industry, and the form these alliances take. The models introduced in this paper use the cost of capital and monitoring costs to predict the timing of the deal, which in turn allows the prediction of the deal type. The deal type is then used to predict payment types used in the deal. Deals are characterized by five payment types; upfront, royalty, milestone, equity, and research payments. Deals are also characterized by one of five deal types; co-development, license, acquisition, outsource, and asset purchase. Each …

Measuring And Detecting Political Forces, Ann Zerkle

All Dissertations

The essays in my dissertation explore the impact of political action on everyday life by utilizing the modern theory of political economy and investigating the 'unintended' consequences of political behavior. Specifically, the first essay studies the impact on communities when the Army activates reservists and guardsmen. The second essay challenges traditional ways of measuring electoral data, helping in the understanding of election campaigns. The third essay demonstrates the new electoral measure to ask and answer, 'Did Bush bring home troops to bolster campaign support in 2004?'