Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Effect Of Dichotomous Versus Likert Response Format On The Measurement Of Socially Desirable Response Bias, Celia Medrano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Socially Desirable Responding (SDR) is defined as a biased tendency to endorse personality inventory items that are generally judged to be socially acceptable, and to avoid endorsing items that are judged to be socially undesirable. Rare Virtue (RV) scales, such as the MMPI-2 Lie scale, have been designed to detect SDR. The items of such scales, called RV items, typically invite respondents to claim unlikely virtues or deny common faults. The present study hypothesized that RV items perform much differently when a Dichotomous response format (e.g., true/false) is used than when a Likert response format is used. A total of …

Responding To Haiti's Earthquake: Volunteer Health And Community Relationships, Mary Nelan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Disaster volunteers are an important group of workers on the ground after a disaster. International volunteers have not been the subject of much research in the past. Following the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti, an American-based NGO set up a base in Leogane, the epicenter of the earthquake. The purpose of this research is to further understand the disaster volunteer population and help inform international NGOs who respond to disasters. This thesis focuses on the volunteers who worked with that organization during 2010. As a volunteer, I witnessed the situations that inspired this research through my own experiences for …

The Exploratory Value Of Agent-Based Models In Social Science, Ricardo Andress Rivera

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

N/A

"Dancing On The Corpse's Ashes": Analyzing The Emotional Use Of Music And Genre By At The Drive In And How It Communicates Border Identity, Crystal A. Robert-Segura

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Music has the ability to communicate various facets through the use of lyrics, dissonance and melody. At the Drive In, an emo, post-hardcore band from El Paso, TX won worldwide fame with their last album, Relationship of Command (2000). The band was active from 1993-2001. Throughout their time as a band they were able to communicate their life experiences, as well as the varied cultures that make-up the band.

The band was able to communicate through their music, identity. The band was from the U.S.-Mexico border. The U.S.-Mexico border extends nearly 2,000 miles from San Diego, CA to Brownsville, …

Coalition For Prisoners' Rights Newsletter, Vol. 36-C, No. 1, Coalition For Prisoners' Rights

Coalition for Prisoners' Rights Newsletters

¡Up With The New!

The Unity We Have

Concession: Semi-Contact Visits

End of Lethal-Injection Drug

Voices in Solidarity

El Secretario de Comercio de EEUU

Application Of Counter-Stereotype Strategy For National Image Management: A Comparative Study Of U.S. And South Korean College Students' National Stereotypes Of China, Hyunmee Kang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The study sought to explore the applicability of national stereotypes for implicit stereotype by measuring reaction times (RTs). Also, the study intended to suggest a more effective national image management in overseas practices by demonstrating the effect of counter-stereotype strategy on country-of-origin (COO) effect. A focus of the study was on China and Chinese people for national stereotypes and Chinese corporations and products made in China for the COO effect, considering unfavorable national images of China in news media and negative impressions on products made in China. The study compared national stereotypes of China and Chinese people and COO effect …

The Predictive Ability Of Demographic And Psychosocial Risk Factors, School-Related Characteristics, And Service Interventions On Grade Attainment Among At-Risk Elementary School Children In A Truancy Intervention Program, Judith L. F. Rhodes

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of the current exploratory-descriptive retrospective study was to examine the demographic, school-related, and psychosocial risk factors among at-risk elementary school children (N = 12644) assessed at low and high levels of risk for continuing truancy. The sample was enrolled in 16 statewide program sites of a community-based truancy prevention program in Louisiana, which provided a letter and attendance monitoring for low-risk participants and intensive case management for high-risk participants. Intercorrelations among risk factors and referred services and on-time grade attainment were assessed for a subsample of the high-risk children (n = 6088). Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted …

Asians In The American Mind: How Americans View Asian Americans Politically, Nhung Kim Nguyen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores how the general American public thinks about Asian Americans, who are a multiethnic, immigrant-dominated, fast-growing, and understudied group. Understanding Americans’ views toward Asians is important in light of the changing face of the American electorate, whose recent additions comprise largely of immigrants from Asia and Latin America, and the likelihood that Americans’ beliefs or thoughts about race and ethnicity will be altered beyond the black-white divide in U.S. politics. As an attempt to gain such understanding, the purpose of this study is to provide a systematic study of Americans’ attitudes toward Asians in terms of positive/negative evaluations …

The Religiosity And Spirituality Scale For Youth: Development And Initial Validation, Brittany C. Hernandez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The literature cites multiple definitions for religiosity and spirituality, with little consensus among researchers. Religiosity/spirituality has been associated with a myriad of positive outcomes in both adults and youth. Despite the importance of these constructs, there are little to no psychometrically sound measures created to assess religiosity or spirituality in youth. Adult measures are psychometrically strong for use with older populations, but none were developed for use with young people. The purpose of the current study was to develop a psychometrically sound measure of religiosity and spirituality for use with diverse samples of youth. A sample of 307 youth, aged …

Rights, Needs, And The Creation Of Ethical Community, Natalie Susan Gaines

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Despite a half-century of dominance by the rights discourse, the supremacy of rights in theories of human obligation has recently come under attack from political theorists. Though scholars have questioned the ability of rights to explain satisfactorily the responsibility we have for the well-being of others, there are few viable alternatives offered. In this dissertation, I argue that a theory of needs provides a better explanation of the intellectual and moral foundations of obligation. Human need is deeply rooted in subjective potentiality, but studies in human psychology have also provided an increasingly universal picture of the needs human beings experience. …

Essays On Risk And Volatility, Junyue Xu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this work, we begin with an investigation into the temporal correlation in default risk. We first establish a link between the dynamics of house price changes and the dynamics of default rates in the Gaussian copula framework by specifying a time series model for a common risk factor. We show that the serial correlation propagates from the common risk factor to default rates. In the second essay, we specify a model where the default correlation is stochastic. We find the distribution of expected value of cash flows received by securitized investment vehicles is distorted by the dynamics of default …

An Investigation Of The Home And Family Questionnaire's Concurrent And Predictive Validity, Angel Lewis Herring

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The current study sought to replicate the findings of Pierce, Alfonso, & Garrison (1998) that constructed and tested the Home and Family Questionnaire (HFQ). More specifically, the internal consistency of the HFQ’s three subscales, Maturity Facilitation, Child’s Use of Stimulating Materials, and the Parent-Child Emotional Relationship, was investigated. Construct validity of the HFQ was investigated by correlating the HFQ subscale scores to the Parenting Styles Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ) subscale scores (Robinson, Mandleco, Olsen & Hart, 1995). Criterion-related validity was investigated by correlating the HFQ subscale scores with the Pictorial Scales of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance in Young Children (PSPC) …

Transnational Spaces And Communal Land Tenure In A Caribbean Place: "Barbuda Is For Barbudans", Amy E. Potter

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the last decade, transnational migration research has gained considerable ground in geography. There is still more to be done, however, in order to understand the complex relationship between migrants and the lands they leave behind. The island of Barbuda in the Lesser Antilles is the ideal place to study the larger issues of transnational migration on a smaller scale, particularly research that focuses on both migration and land tenure. Barbudan land tenure is common property, something that was in practice for more than a century and formalized into law in January of 2008. Because of this particular system of …

Fatalities Due To Hurricane Katrina's Impacts In Louisiana, Ezra Clay-Kelly Boyd

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation presents a comprehensive analysis of the loss of life in Louisiana associated with Hurricane Katrina and the catastrophic failure of the federal hurricane protection system. While Louisiana officials attribute 1,464 deaths to this disaster, a Louisiana Katrina Victim Database compiled for this dissertation lists 1,575 victims whose death can be linked to circumstances related to the disaster. First, this dissertation presents a comprehensive assessment of the multiple hazards impacting a dynamic population within southeast Louisiana. This is followed by a comprehensive descriptive analysis of victims’ characteristics. Both of these assessments point to an important conclusion: circumstances matter in …

Dyadic Meta-Accuracy In Leader-Member Exchanges: An Examination Of Antecedents And Relational Outcomes, Jared A. Ledoux

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Work organizations are inherently social entities, dependent upon the social interactions between supervisors and subordinates. This study examined the role of interpersonal processes within organizational settings, focusing upon subordinates‟ accuracy in judging their supervisors‟ impressions of the subordinates‟ personality. This phenomenon, dyadic meta-accuracy, is examined within exchange relationships between supervisors and subordinates, drawing upon Leader Member Exchange (LMX) theory and the metaperception literature. A theoretical framework proposed potential antecedents of subordinate meta-accuracy, including: communication frequency, physical proximity, psychological closeness, and trait visibility. In addition, subordinate meta-accuracy was proposed as a determinant of the relational quality between subordinate and supervisor and …

Writing William Burroughs, Performing The Archive, John Lebret

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Between 1958 and 1972, author William S. Burroughs undertook a series of radical experiments with alternative compositional modes based on the aleatory form of the Cut-up. Burroughs sold the entirety of his work from the period, assembled into an archive, to a collector in 1972. This study uses performative writing to document a year of archival research in Burroughs' collection, currently housed by The Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature at the New York Public Library. Melding Bakhtin's theories of the chronotope and the grotesque body with creative writing and experimental modes of scholarly …

Crime In New Orleans: Applying The Civic Community Perspective To Urban Violence, Jessica M. Doucet

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Civic community theory is a macro-level social control perspective that has emerged within the past 10 years as an explanation of community variation in crime rates. The theory is based on the assumption that well-integrated communities are better able to regulate their members’ behaviors than poorly integrated communities. It has been particularly successful in explaining violent crime rates in rural counties or communities, but research has generally ignored the relationship between civic community theory and violent crime in urban areas. The current study aims to determine the applicability of the civic community perspective to urban areas, as a link has …

Hbcu Crises And Best Practices In The Discourse Of Renewal: A Crisis Communication Case Study Of Three Institutions, Erica Courtney Taylor

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Crises have been a part of all societies over the course of time. Leaders of small, primitive societies may have dealt with these crises by directly communicating with their citizens or by taking other hands-on approaches to crisis management and recovery. However, in large post-modern technological societies, leaders must find more efficient ways to handle and recover from crises. This qualitative study examines three crises that occurred at three Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs) in the last six years. Crisis communication planning and practices are explored with a special focus on elements of the discourse of renewal theory each …

The Relationship Between Visual Attention And Prospective Memory, Noelle L. Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The current study examined the role of attention in prospective memory. Prospective memory refers to the ability to form an intention to do something in the future, such as email a colleague, and additionally remembering to do so at the appropriate moment. Theories of prospective memory retrieval suggest that attention is required to complete an intention. However, the exact role of attention and whether it is always required remains unclear. One challenge in examining the allocation of attentional resources in prospective memory is that a direct measure of these resources does not exist. The current study attempted to address this …

Do Landlords Discriminate In The Rental Housing Market? Evidence From An Internent Field Experiment In U.S. Cities, Andrew R. Hanson, Zackary Hawley

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

This paper tests for racial discrimination in the rental housing market using matched-pair audits conducted via e-mail for rental units advertised on-line. We reveal home-seekers’ race to landlords by sending e-mails from names with a high likelihood of association with either whites or African Americans. Generally, discrimination occurs against African American names; however, when the content of the e-mail messages insinuates home-seekers with high social class, discrimination is non-existent. Racial discrimination is more severe in neighborhoods that are near “tipping points” in racial composition, and for units that are part of a larger building.

The Effect Of Location Based Tax Incentives On Establishment Location And Employment Across Industry Sectors, Andrew R. Hanson, Shawn Rohlin

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

This article examines the potential for location-based employment tax incentives to have a differential effect on establishment location and employment across industry sectors. The authors model the differential effect of the location-based federal Empowerment Zone (EZ) wage tax credit on equilibrium labor and total cost savings across industry sectors. The model guides the empirical work, as the authors test the effect of the program across industry sectors. The empirical analysis shows that location-based tax incentives have a positive effect on firm location in some of the industries their model predicts and a negative effect in industries that could be crowded …

Leisure And Happiness In The U.S.: Evidence From Survey Data, Miao Wang, M. C. Sunny Wong

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

We study the relationship between leisure and happiness, controlling for income and other determinants. Using survey data for the United States in 2007, our results show that certain aspects of leisure, such as leisure activity satisfaction, have a significant impact on individual well-being whereas the amount of leisure time may not play an important role in affecting happiness.

Fdi And Human Capital In The Usa: Is Fdi In Different Industries Created Equal?, Miao Wang

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

We use data in the USA to study the effect of inward Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in different sectors/industries on the state-level human capital, measured by the average years of tertiary schooling. We find that inward manufacturing FDI tends to lower the tertiary schooling in a host state while information FDI increases the tertiary schooling in a host state.

Our Theories, Ourselves: Hierarchies Of Place And Status In U.S. Academia, Karen M. Morin, Tamar Rothenberg

Faculty Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Environmental Influences On Young Adult Weight Gain: Evidence From A Natural Experiment, Kandice A. Kapinos, Olga Yakusheva

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

Objectives: This study investigated the importance of environmental influences in explaining weight gain and related behaviors among freshman college students.

Methods: We exploited a natural experiment that takes place on most college campuses in the United States - randomized dormitory assignments. We estimated the effects of living in dormitories with varying physical environment characteristics on weight gain and related behaviors (daily number of meals and snacks, weekly frequency of exercise) among randomly assigned freshman students.

Results: We found strong evidence linking weight and related behaviors to individual dormitories, as well as to specific characteristics of the dormitories. On average, students …

The Coalition Of The Unwilling: Contentious Politics, Political Opportunity Structures, And Challenges For The Contemporary Peace Movement, Victoria Carty

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

The Bush Doctrine, which was installed after the 9-11 attacks on the United States under the guise of the war on terrorism, postulated a vision of the United States as the world’s unchallenged superpower and the invasion of Iraq became one of the central fronts of this war. After failing to get approval by the United Nations for the invasion, the Bush Administration’s attempt to assemble a coalition of the willing became critical to the battle for public opinion to back the war. While the administration was able to garner some support, the coalition eventually unravelled and all troops are …

Six Titans Of The Cambridge School: A Review Article, Harvey Gram

Publications and Research

Six volumes in the Great Thinker in Economics Series were chosen by the Editors for this review, which focuses on The Cambridge School of Economics, so very different from the mainstream theory of general economic equilibrium which gives formal expression to Lionel Robbins’ famous definition of the subject as the allocation of scarce means among alternative uses. In recognition of a distinct Cambridge School, the authors of these volumes present a variety of arguments within which three overlapping themes can be discerned: the relationship between ethics and economics; the role of stocks and flows in economic analysis; and the epistemic …

Unpacking Faculty Engagement: The Types Of Activities Faculty Members Report As Publicly Engaged Scholarship During Promotion And Tenure, Chris R. Glass, Diane M. Doberneck, John H. Schweitzer

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

While a growing body of scholarship has focused on the personal, professional, and organizational factors that influence faculty members’ involvement in publicly engaged scholarship, the nature and scope of faculty publicly engaged scholarship itself has remained largely unexplored. What types of activities are faculty members involved in as publicly engaged scholarship? How does their involvement vary by demographic, type of faculty appointment, or college grouping? To explore these questions, researchers conducted a quantitative content analysis of 173 promotion and tenure documents from a research-intensive, land-grant, Carnegie Classified Community Engagement university and found statistically significant differences for the variables age, number …

The Access Gap: Poverty And Characteristics Of School Library Media Centers, Shana Pribesh, Karen Gavigan, Gail Dickinson

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Stephen Krashen believes that schools can counter the effects of poverty in at least one area: access to books. However, little research has been done to determine whether students living in poverty have access to school library services comparable to those attending schools with low concentrations of students living in poverty. We examined the school library access gap namely, the differences in school library characteristics (staffing, books added to collection, schedule, and number of days closed) in schools with various concentrations of students living in poverty. Alarmingly, we found that the students in most need—those attending schools with the highest …

Maternal Exposure To The Holocaust And Health Complaints In Offspring, Janine D. Flory, Linda M. Bierer, Rachel Yehuda

Publications and Research

Although the link between chronic stress and the development of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases of adulthood has been known for some time, there is growing recognition that early environmental influences may result in developmental programming via epigenetic mechanisms, thereby affecting the developmental trajectory of disease progression. Previous studies support the idea that offspring of Holocaust survivors may have been subjected to early developmental programming. We evaluated the relationship between parental exposure to the Holocaust and selfreported health ratings and disorders made by their adult offspring (i.e., second generation Holocaust survivors). A total of 137 subjects were evaluated. Regression analyses demonstrated …