Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Learning From Personal Experience What’S Needed In Information Literacy Outreach: An Engineering Student Returns To Her Alma Mater As An Engineering Librarian, Tammy Stitz

Research, Publications, and Presentations

An engineering background may not be required for successful outreach projects, however, when coupled with a review of the relevant literature of sci-tech librarianship; it can certainly facilitate “buy in” from the faculty in a way that promotes the American Board of Engineering and Technology mandates to foster lifelong information literacy skills in their students. After having established rapport with the faculty through providing them with specially tailored research and current awareness support, library outreach was then directed towards their graduate students. Success with these two influential groups is now being used to expand both in-person and wireless opportunities to …

The Interpretation-Construction Distinction, Lawrence B. Solum

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The interpretation-construction distinction, which marks the difference between linguistic meaning and legal effect, is much discussed these days. I shall argue that the distinction is both real and fundamental – that it marks a deep difference in two different stages (or moments) in the way that legal and political actors process legal texts. My account of the distinction will not be precisely the same as some others, but I shall argue that it is the correct account and captures the essential insights of its rivals. This Essay aims to mark the distinction clearly!

The basic idea can be explained by …

The Parent As (Mere) Educational Trustee: Whose Education Is It, Anyway?, Jeffrey Shulman

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The purpose of this Article is two-fold. First, the Article argues that the parent’s right to educate his or her children is strictly circumscribed by the parent’s duty to ensure that children learn habits of critical reasoning and reflection. The law has long recognized that the state’s duty to educate children is superior to any parental right. Indeed, the “parentalist” position to the contrary rests on an inflation of rights that is, in fact, a radical departure from longstanding legal norms. Indeed, at common law the parent had “a sacred right” to the custody of his child, and the parent’s …

The Unity Of Interpretation, Lawrence B. Solum

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

What is interpretation? One can imagine a range of answers to this question. One answer might begin with the observation that the English word “interpretation” is used to refer to a variety of human activities. Translators at the United Nations interpret remarks made in French when they offer an English translation. Literary critics interpret novels when they investigate the deep and sometimes unconscious motivations of the author. Conductors interpret a score when they make decisions about meter, tempo, and dynamic range. Actors interpret a screenplay when they improvise new lines based on their understanding of the characters. Judges interpret statutes …

The Transition To College And Psychological Outcomes: The Effect Of Identity Development, College Stress, And Activity Involvement On Body Dissatisfaction And Disordered Eating In First-Year College Women, Ashley Marie Rolnik

Master's Theses

The first year of college is an at-risk time period for the development of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. Thus, it is important to understand the underlying components of the first-year experience - specifically identity development, college stress, and extracurricular activity involvement - that contribute to these psychological disorders. During this developmental time period, first-year students experience many changes and challenges. The goals of the current prospective study are to examine how identity development, college stress, and extracurricular activity involvement affect the development or exacerbation of eating disorders and body dissatisfaction in first-year college women. This longitudinal study aims to …

Do Family Dynamics Mediate The Relationshp Between Early Pubertal Development And Depression For Girls With And Without Spina Bifida?, Rachel Wasserman

Master's Theses

Girls who experience premature puberty have higher levels of depressive symptoms than their peers (Rierdan & Koff, 1991; Hayward et al., 1997). However, girls with spina bifida (SB) experience different psychosocial changes during puberty. This study proposed two longitudinal, mediated moderation models to investigate whether family variables (i.e., parent-child conflict and emotional distancing) contributed to differences in the connection between early pubertal timing and depressive symptoms for girls with and without SB. 62 families (31 SB, 31typically developing) were recruited for a larger longitudinal study. Constructs were assessed subjectively and objectively with the use of questionnaire and observational data. Findings …

Youth In Substitute Care Presenting With Sexual Behavior Problems, Christopher Zaddach

Master's Theses

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the traumatic history of youths in the foster care system presenting with sexual behavior problems. Moreover, co-occurring trauma symptoms will be investigated as possibly contributing to the severity of sexual behavior problems in this population. The present study has four primary goals: (1) This study will focus on identifying traumatic experiences that are associated with sexual behavior problems in children and adolescents in the child welfare system; (2) Co- occuring levels of trauma symptoms including posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS) and sexual concerns (SC; Briere, 1996) will be tested as possible moderators …

Posttraumatic Stress Symptom Clusters And Externalizing Problems In Young Urban African American Adolescents, Maria Ann Horn-Rollins

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between five posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) clusters and two forms of externalizing problems within and across the middle school years in a low income urban sample of young adolescent African Americans. A secondary aim of this study was to explore moderation effects by gender. Total PTSS positively predicted a little over 58% of the cross-sectional externalizing outcomes and uniquely explained between 5 and 12% of the variance in these outcomes over and above gender and exposure to violence. Total PTSS significantly and positively predicted one-third of the longitudinal outcomes and …

Predictors Of Mental Health Outcomes Among Foster Care Children Receiving Community-Based Services, Alison Merri Dunleavy

Master's Theses

Historically, children served in the foster care system experience less favorable mental health outcomes compared to those in the general population (Anctil, McCubbin, & Pecora, 2006; Burns et al., 2004; Garland et al., 2001; Zima, Bussing, Yang, & Berlin, 2000). As a result, the child welfare system has been described as a "de facto public behavioral health care system" (Lyons & Rogers, 2004), prompting state child welfare agencies to seek to put systems and policies in place to serve the needs of these youth, such as Illinios' statewide community-based program, System of Care (SOC), designed to provide multi-modal services to …

The Mirror Is Not You: Objectification And Eating Disordered Behaviors In Classical And Contemporary Dancers, David Matthew Doyle

Master's Theses

The current study extended the tenets of objectification theory to a population considered to be at risk for poor body image--professional dancers. Furthermore, differences in self-objectification and its sequelae due to participation in classical versus contemporary dance companies, styles with differential exposure to objectifying cues, were explored. Forty professional dancers and thirty-nine non-dancers completed measures of objectification and its sequelae. Differences in levels of self-objectification did not fit the predicted pattern, with dancers evidencing lower levels than non-dancers; however body shame levels were elevated among dancers. The proposed model of objectification fit both groups, with body shame mediating the relationship …

Creating A Balance In Sentencing Offenders: A Step Towards Restorative Justice, Lindsay Nichols

Master's Theses

Public sentencing preferences often determine the sentencing statutes created by legislators. Extracting public opinion is typically done through mass public opinion polls; however, research has found that these polls often produce misleading findings. In order to accurately dissect the various layers of laypersons' sentencing choices, a victim impact statement (VIS) and a statement of offender remorse were manipulated within a crime scenario depicting moderately severe crimes. A total of 215 participants were randomly assigned to one of the 16 conditions in this 2 (crime type: residential burglary or unarmed robbery) x 2 (VIS: absence or presence) x 2 (offender remorse …

Public Responsiveness To Victim's Recommendations In Their Sentencing Decisions: Role Of Victim's Race, Victim Impact Statement And Judge's Instructions, Mary Elizabeth Talbot

Master's Theses

A total of 191 participants completed the 2 (Race of victim: African American, Caucasian) x 2 (Content of Victim Impact Statement (VIS): Sentence Recommendation Only, Both Sentence Recommendation and Harm Statement) x 2 (Jury Guidelines for VIS: No guidance, Explicit instructions to weigh the harm statement with other aggravating and mitigating factors) between subjects factorial design study. The study assessed the relationship between the victim's race (African-American or Caucasian), the content of victim impact statements, and the judge's guidelines/instructions for interpreting/using the Victim Impact Statement (VIS) in the sentencing phase of a defendant's trial for burglary and aggravated battery. The …

Affection, Anger, Or Ambivalence? An Examination Of Tunisian And Two Groups Of American Students' Attitudes Toward American Politics And Popular Culture, Jonya Leverett

Master's Theses

Attitude ambivalence is the attitude actor's simultaneous possession of both negative and positive affect toward an attitude object. The competing affect produces tension, creating attitude ambivalence. In the present project, the attitude object is the United States of America. Students in Tunisia (a predominately Muslim nation) were asked specific questions about American foreign policy and American popular culture (n = 17). These two aspects of the `America' attitude object are expected to produce attitude ambivalence as the Tunisian students should express positive affect toward American popular culture and negative affect toward American foreign policy. A pencil and paper survey featuring …

Investigation Of The Effects Of Team Coaching, Performance Feedback, And Collective Efficacy On Small Group Performance, Rachael Nichole Martinez

Master's Theses

Research has demonstrated that there are a variety of factors that influence group performance such as team coaching, feedback, and collective efficacy. A study was conducted to determine whether consultative team coaching improves performance and at what point--beginning or middle--it is most beneficial to the team. One hundred eleven dyads, comprised of 222 students, participated in this study. The dyads performed a task twice in which they were given team coaching before the first attempt, after the first attempt, or not at all. In addition, feedback was manipulated such that teams received positive or negative feedback after their first attempt …

Knowledge, The Marketization Of Education, And High-Stakes Accountability: Curriculum Differentiation In Chicago Public High Schools, Paige Elizabeth Jessee

Master's Theses

Over the course of the twentieth century curriculum differentiation became a mainstay in education, particularly in secondary schools. Much has been written on how this is a purposeful selection process often tied to larger social and political status and relationships. Moreover, knowledge is largely deemed appropriate based upon whose knowledge it is and for what student it is appropriate. Also, within the past two decades, there has been an increase in neoliberal school choice policies and neoconservative standardization policies in public education largely in the form of charter schools and high-stakes testing. These market policies aim to increase innovation and …

The City Imagined: Race, Place And Identity In The Making Of Urban Church, Jessica M. Barron

Master's Theses

In this study, I will explore the racial and urban imaginary of church leaders and members seeking to create an authentic and relevant church for Chicago's unchurched, young-adult urbanite. In their quest to develop a relevant church, the varied imaginations of the city of Chicago by leaders, volunteers and members come to the forefront. How these imaginations are fostered, incorporated, rebelled against or dismissed brings to light the politics of imagining the imagined city. This paper will discuss these varied, dueling, and sometimes contradictory imaginations informing the construction, operation, and branding campaigns of Urban Church. Particular focus will be paid …

Erasing Mexican Chicago: The Role Of Community Based Organizations And Immigrant Networks In The Gentrifying Neighborhood Of Pilsen, David Orta

Master's Theses

This study explores the effects of gentrification in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, a historic port of entry for Mexican immigrants and a basin for community organization and other resources. The research questions of this study first query the effects of gentrification on the informal immigrant networks that make Pilsen a site for community resources for new immigrants. Second, the study explores the effects of gentrification on community-based organizations in a rapidly changing environment. As the racial and economic demographics of the neighborhood shift, community based organizations must adapt. Finally, this study examines the relationship between neighborhood residents and community based organizations. …

On The Scaling Interpretation Of Exponents In Hyperboloid Models Of Delay And Probability Discounting, Todd L. Mckerchar, Leonard Green, Joel Myerson

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Previously, we (McKerchar et al., 2009) showed that two-parameter hyperboloid models (Green and Myerson, 2004; Rachlin, 2006) provide significantly better fits to delay discounting data than simple, one-parameter hyperbolic and exponential models. Here, we extend this effort by comparing fits of the two-parameter hyperboloid models to data from a larger sample of participants (N= 171) who discounted probabilistic as well as delayed rewards. In particular, we examined the effects of amount on the exponents in the two hyperboloid models of delay and probability discounting in order to evaluate key theoretical predictions of the standard psychophysical scaling interpretation of these exponents. …

Workplace Flexibility, Work Hours, And Work-Life Conflict: Finding An Extra Day Or Two, E. Jeffrey Hill, Jenet Jacob Erickson, Erin K. Holmes, Maria Ferris

Faculty Publications

This study explores the influence of workplace flexibility on work-life conflict for a global sample of workers from four groups of countries. Data are from the 2007 International Business Machines Global Work and Life Issues Survey administered in 75 countries (N 􏰀24,436). We specifically examine flexibility in where (work-at-home) and when (perceived schedule flexibility) workers engage in work-related tasks. Multivariate results indicate that work-at-home and perceived schedule flexibility are generally related to less work-life conflict. Break point analyses of sub-groups reveal that employees with workplace flexibility are able to work longer hours (often equivalent to one or two 8-hr days …

Older Couples’ Management Of Multiple-Chronic Illnesses: Individual And Shared Perceptions And Coping In Type 2 Diabetes And Osteoarthritis, Jeremy B. Yorgason, Susanne Olsen Roper, Brandan Wheeler, Kristen Crane, Rebekah Byron, Leslie Carpenter, Jonathan G. Sandberg, Rachel Sheffield, Dawn Higley

Faculty Publications

Using data from interviews with 28 older couples in which 1 spouse was diagnosed with diabetes and osteoarthritis, we examined illness perceptions and coping activities as they relate to illness management and relationship resilience. Qualitative analysis of interview transcripts revealed categories of data related to perceptions, coping, and cross category comparisons. Findings suggest that couples experience both negative and positive perceptions of their illnesses, indicating a balance between the reality of their illness challenges and an optimistic outlook of the future. Coping activities included a variety of tasks and were performed by individuals, by both spouses in a shared effort, …

Are Older Adults Less Or More Physiologically Reactive? A Meta-Analysis Of Age-Related Differences In Cardiovascular Reactivity To Laboratory Tasks, Wendy C. Birmingham, Bert N. Uchino, Cynthia A. Berg

Faculty Publications

In this meta-analytic review of 31 laboratory studies, we examined if relatively older adults showed lower or higher cardiovascular reactivity compared with relatively younger adults. Results revealed that age was associated with lower heart rate reactivity but higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity during emotionally evocative tasks. Consistent with the predictions of dynamic integration theory, the result for SBP was moderated by the degree of task activation. These data are discussed in light of existing self-regulatory models and important future research directions.

Use Of The Patient Care Monitor To Screen For Depressionin Adult Cancer Patients Interviewed With The Structuredclinical Interview For Dsm-Iv, Scott A. Baldwin, Arthur C. Houts, Damon Lipinski, James P. Olsen, Murad Hasan

Faculty Publications

Objective: To evaluate the Patient Care Monitor (PCM1.0) Acute Distress and DespairnormalizedTscores as indicators of a diagnosis of Major Depression according to theStructured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID).Methods: Subjects were 21 adult cancer patients identified by treating communityoncologists as having significant emotional distress matched on age, cancer type, treatmenthistory, and sex to 21 patients not having significant distress. All completed e/tablet PCM 1.0and SCID administered by trained interviewers. Unweighted kappa and receiver operatingcharacteristics (ROC) analyses were used to assess scale properties.Results: Agreement between SCID Major Depression and Acute Distress and Despair(TX65) were kappa50.751 and 0.755, respectively. ROC …

Effects Of Early-Life Stress On 5-Ht1a Receptors In Juvenile Rhesus Monkeys Measured By Pet, Simona Spinelli, Svetlana Chefer, Richard E. Carson, Elaine Jagoda, Lixin Lang, Markus Heilig, Christina S. Barr, Stephen J. Suomi, J. Dee Higley, Elliot A. Stein

Faculty Publications

Background—Traumatic experiences in early childhood are associated with increased risk for developing mood and anxiety disorders later in life. Low serotonin1A receptor (5-HT1AR) density during development has been proposed as a trait-like characteristic leading to increased vulnerability of stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders.

Methods—To assess the relationship between early-life stress and alterations in the serotonin system during development, we used positron emission tomography (PET) to measure in vivo 5- HT1AR density and apparent dissociation constant (KD app) in the brain of juvenile rhesus monkeys exposed to the early-life stress of peer-rearing.

Results—In general, 5-HT1AR density and KD app were decreased in peer-reared …

Alcohol Response And Consumption In Adolescent Rhesus Macaques: Life History And Genetic Influences, Melanie L. Schwandt, Stephen G. Lindell, Scott Chen, James Dee Higley, Stephen J. Suomi, Markus Heilig, Christina S. Barr

Faculty Publications

The use of alcohol by adolescents is a growing problem and has become an important research topic in the etiology of the alcohol use disorders. A key component of this research has been the development of animal models of adolescent alcohol consumption and alcohol response. Due to their extended period of adolescence, rhesus macaques are especially well-suited for modeling alcoholrelated phenotypes that contribute to the adolescent propensity for alcohol consumption. In this review, we discuss studies from our laboratory that have investigated both the initial response to acute alcohol administration and the consumption of alcohol in voluntary self-administration paradigms in …

Puebloan Sites In The Hidden Hills, James R. Allison

Faculty Publications

In 2006 and 2007, the Brigham Young University Archaeological Field School worked in the Hidden Hills area of the Shivwits Plateau, in the western part of the Arizona Strip. The field school mapped, surface collected, and tested a number of Puebloan habitation sites dating from about A.D. 800 to the late 1200s. Architecture includes surface room blocks, stand-alone circular structures, and pit structures, including one deep masonry-lined pit structure that may be a kiva. Ceramic analysis shows that the Hidden Hills residents participated in ceramic exchange networks encompassing other parts of the Arizona Strip as well as more distant places.

Cultural And Contextual Differentiation Of Mesoamerican Iconography In The Southwest/Northwest, Michael T. Searcy

Faculty Publications

Ample research has documented the long-term interaction between Mesoamerica and the U.S. Southwest/Northwest Mexico (SW/NW). Nelson (2006:345) has used the phrase "Mesoamerican interaction markers" as a way to describe evidence of this contact in the SW/NW. He further defines these as "a variety of archaeological patterns that are reminiscent of Mesoamerican counterparts" including "objects, practices, and styles." Some of the interaction markers that have been studied at length are trade goods such as copper bells, macaws, shell, and iron pyrite mirrors (Bayman 2002; Bradley 1993; Ericson and Baugh 1993; Kelley 1966, 1995; Mathien 1993; McGuire 1993b; Nelson 2000; Riley 2005). …

Recovering And Updating Legacy Dictionary Data, Deryle W. Lonsdale, Dawn Bates

Faculty Publications

Ongoing efforts to annotate and web-enable Lushootseed language resources involve displaying complex dictionary information in ways suitable for diverse users. In this paper we discuss how we have converted dictionary data from its legacy format into a best-practice, state-of-the-art XML format. We also describe how we have been able to further leverage this XML data by making it compatible with Kirrkirr, a new dictionary browser designed to display dictionary information for Australian aboriginal languages. We sketch the process in adapting the dictionary browser to make it a very workable visualization tool for Lushootseed data as well. We also explain and …

Self-Regulation As A Mediator Between Sibling Relationship Quality And Early Adolescents’ Positive And Negative Outcomes, Laura M. Padilla-Walker, James M. Harper, Alexander C. Jensen Phd

Faculty Publications

The current study examined the role of adolescents’ self-regulation as a mediator between sibling relationship quality and adolescent outcomes, after controlling for the quality of the parent-child relationship. Participants were 395 families (282 two parent; 113 single parent) with an adolescent child (M age of child at Time 1 = 11.15, SD = .96, 49% female) who took part in [project name masked for blind review] at both Time 1 and Time 2. Path analysis via structural equation modeling suggested that sibling affection was longitudinally and positively related to self-regulation and prosocial behaviors, and negatively related to externalizing behaviors; while …

Social Relationships And Mortality Risk: A Meta-Analytic Review, Julianne Holt-Lunstad

Faculty Publications

Background

The quality and quantity of individuals' social relationships has been linked not only to mental health but also to both morbidity and mortality.

Objectives

This meta-analytic review was conducted to determine the extent to which social relationships influence risk for mortality, which aspects of social relationships are most highly predictive, and which factors may moderate the risk.

Data Extraction

Data were extracted on several participant characteristics, including cause of mortality, initial health status, and pre-existing health conditions, as well as on study characteristics, including length of follow-up and type of assessment of social relationships.

Results

Across 148 studies (308,849 …

Rewiring Head And Heart : An Investigation Into The Efficacy Of A Clinical Psychotherapeutic Modality For The Treatment Of Depression, Genevieve Milnes

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This is a presentation of the psychotherapeutic treatment modality, „Rewiring Head & Heart (Rewiring)‟ that combines cognitive therapy (“head”) with psychodynamic exercises (“heart”) into an evidence-based clinical treatment modality for use by therapists. This study extends previous research conducted by Milnes (1998). Descriptions of the origins of the treatment modality, the underpinning theoretical framework, and practical application in the Rewiring Manual are followed by an empirical investigation of its efficacy on a sample of adults with depressed mood, before discussing case studies and issues of clinical application of Rewiring. Rewiring consists of two contributing elements – Cognitive Fluency (CF) and …