Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Developing And Sustaining Creative Workplace Teams: A User's Guide, Thomas J. Andahl

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Developing and Sustaining Creative Workplace Teams: A User’s Guide

This project represents the initial work on a practical guide for managers and their employees on how to fashion and nurture creative teams in the workplace. I believe there is a palpable need for such a guide. Managers realize their success depends on their ability to harness the creativity and innovative talents of their employees, but many of them do not know how. For their part, employees naturally want to maximize their creative talents, but many feel that their creative urges are suppressed by the very managers who want to unleash …

Global Savings And Global Investment: The Transmission Of Identified Fiscal Shocks, James Feyrer, Jay Shambaugh

Dartmouth Scholarship

This paper examines the effect of exogenous shocks to savings on world capital markets. Exogenous tax increases in the United States (from Romer and Romer 2010) are only partially offset by changes in domestic private savings, and only a small amount is absorbed by increased domestic investment (contra Feldstein and Horioka 1980). Almost half the change in taxes is transmitted abroad through a change in the US current account. Other countries experience decreases in current accounts and increases in investment in response to exogenous US tax increases. We cannot reject symmetric responses across countries with different currency regimes and levels …

Financial Knowledge And Financial Literacy At The Household Level, Alan L. Gustman, Thomas L. Steinmeier, Nahid Tabatabai

Dartmouth Scholarship

There is evidence of a relation between numeracy and wealth held outside of pensions and Social Security. With pensions and Social Security accounting for half of wealth at retirement, and evidence that those with pensions save more in other forms, one would expect to find knowledge of pensions and Social Security influencing retirement saving. Yet we find no evidence that knowledge of pensions and Social Security is related to nonpension, non-Social Security wealth, to numeracy, or that it plays an intermediate role in the numeracy-wealth relation. Our findings raise questions about policies that would enhance numeracy to increase retirement saving.

Mahmutæehajiæ'S "Maintaining The Sacred Center: The Bosnian City Of Stolac By Maintaining The Sacred Center", David Fideler Phd

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Kazakhstan: How Many Religious Books Await Compulsory State Censorship?, Felix Corley

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

No abstract provided.

Societal And Spiritual Orientation: How People Interpret Ambiguous Situations, Joshua Tanguay

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

In the middle part of the twentieth century, Allport (1950) stated that the study of religion had “gone into hiding” (p.1). However, due largely to Allport’s seminal work in field, the study of religion blossomed. Batson and Ventis (1982) created a measure entitled the Religious Life Inventory based on their interpretation and critique of Allport and Ross (1967). The inventory categorized people as extrinsically, intrinsically, or quest oriented to their religion. These three orientations propose different ways that people use their religion. However, spirituality is not an inherent value system in everyone’s life (Allport, 1950). Therefore, the current study created …

Leadership And Innovative Environment In Organizations, Xiaojuan Xia

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

This article examines the relationship between leader-follower friendships and the innovative environment in organizations. The results of the study reveal that leader-follower friendships are positively related to the measurements of innovative environment. Organizations with an innovative environment exhibit strong overall leader-follower friendships. Measures of leader-follower friendships are obtained from Boyd and Taylor's developmental approach to the examination of friendships between leaders and followers. In order to find out the determinations of an innovative environment, this paper reviews the work of Van der Sluis, Baldridge, Burnham, Bharadwaj, Menon, McLean, and others. The article synthesizes the literature, and lists the factors that …

Relationship Between Cultural Intelligence And Leadership, Lu Yang

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

The study investigates the prediction that the higher cultural intelligence competencies, the more effective leadership. Multiple regression analysis of data from 14 managers in the United States and 71 managers in China report several relationships between the cultural intelligence competencies and effective leadership. The study focused on the relationships of each dimension of the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS), Metacognitive (ME), Cognitive (C), Motivational (MO) and Behavioral (B), to each dimension of the Leadership Behavior Inventory: Visualizing Greatness (VG), Empowering the ―We‖ (WE), Communicating for Meaning (CM), Managing Oneself (MOS), and Care and Recognition (CR). Analysis indicated that there are significant …

The Truth Shall Set You Free: The Bible, The Revolution, And The Debate Over Slavery In The American South, Kevin Simon

Masters Theses

Before the slavery debate pushed a divided American nation to the brink of civil war, the argument divided the family of God. By the time cannon fire erupted at Fort Sumter, Christians had already staked out positions based on sophisticated lines of argument they used to justify or condemn chattel slavery. The generation coming of age during the Civil War era witnessed a debate more intense and contentious than their ancestors had seen, but in terms of the arguments employed, it broke very little fresh ground. Contrary to the assumption that antebellum apologists in the South invented the defense of …

Navigating The Gate Keepers: A Mixed Method Study Of Early Career Librarians In The Tenure Process, Judith Wolfe

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The “gate keepers” oversee the enforcement of the rules, set by the university, for those seeking tenure. This elite club decides what counts, how it is completed and evaluated, and where to set the equity bar. The pre-tenured librarian expects to be treated with openness and fairness but may be met with bias and secrecy. Without a network or mentoring system many early-career librarians are not reappointed, are denied tenure, and become dropouts in the last year of the tenure process.

This study explores mentoring functions as they relate to joining the “club” within an academic library. This study also …

Studies On Critical Thinking For Environmental Ethics, Courtney Quinn

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study examined the role of critical thinking in regards to environmental ethical issues. First, an instrument was developed and validated to quantitatively measure students’ ability to apply critical thinking skills to various environmental ethical issues. Next, the instrument and a qualitative assessment were used to examine critical thinking capabilities of freshmen upon entry to a large introductory course. Last, the Environmental Ethics Critical Thinking Assessment, in conjunction with the qualitative assessment, were used to examine the change in critical thinking ability of all students in a large introductory course from pre to post-semester. In both studies, numerous antecedents to …

Promoting Healthy Body Image In College Men: An Evaluation Of A Psychoeducation Program, Justin Henderson

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Current psychological research indicates that men are increasingly dissatisfied with their bodies (e.g., McCabe & Ricciardelli 2004; Olivardia, Pope, Borowiecki, & Cohane, 2004). The consequences of body image concerns range from mild discontent (e.g., body dissatisfaction) to the more pathological (e.g., muscle dysmorphic disorder, steroid use, and eating disorders). College-age men are at particular risk of body image disturbances. Drawing from body image research and theory, a one session prevention intervention was designed for college men to address this growing concern. The prevention intervention was intended to serve as a preliminary step into men’s body image prevention programming. The intervention …

Modern Quilting: Diy Discourse, Ellen Rushman

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study explores the modern quilting movement from the perspective of members of the Modern Quilt Guild (MQG), a new guild that includes both online and in-person elements. Twenty-six members of seven MQG’s across the United States were interviewed. The interviews focused on the factors that draw participants into the MQG as well as how the art/craft debate shapes the experiences of modern quilters. This study concludes that modern quilting is both an attitude and an aesthetic. The attitude of modern quilting encompasses common themes among participants like the lack of rules dictating their quilting practices and an open and …

Patronage Politics And Public Goods Provision In Africa, Alex M. Kroeger

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Many prevailing views contend that African politics are strongly influenced by vertical networks of dyadic patronage relationships that have a damaging effect on political systems, economies, and civil society. Since independence, the increasing size of many African cabinets would, following the literature, indicate a growth in political patronage networks. While these networks may increase the likelihood of leadership survival, it is expected, ceteris paribus, that growing patronage coalitions would diminish government revenue allocated toward the provision of public goods. This study goes beyond previous research by quantitatively examining the relationship between cabinet size and public goods provision that has …

Examining The Covariance Of Political And Religious Beliefs Within Individuals And Across Generations, Amanda Balzer

Department of Political Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The political and religious are demonstrably intertwined in American politics and within the preferences of individual citizens. This dissertation has attempted to examine possible theoretical reasons for the overlap and sources of development of these belief systems within individuals and across generations. In sum, different Moral Foundations are associated with different preferences for organizing society and approaching religion; grandparents, parents and children share many political and religious beliefs, though not all Moral Foundations; and genetics influence part of the variance on religious and political preferences and part of their overlap is due to a shared genetic path. Most scholarship exploring …

Influences Of Farming Background On Farm Women’S Employment Motivations, Alexis Swendener

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

An important change in the dynamics of family farming is the financial difficulties they have encountered and the resulting solution of sending a family member to earn a wage in off-farm employment. This study utilizes survey data from Washington family farm women to explore how they navigate their unique social context concerning the decision and reasons they choose to work off-farm. In particular, I examine whether women who grew upon a farm or have spent a large percentage of their lives on farms are more or less likely to work off-farm. An identity theory approach is utilized to hypothesize that …

Abortion And Distress: The Role Of State-Level Restrictive Policies Regarding Reproduction, Elizabeth Straley

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Does state legal context modify the association between abortion and distress among women in the United States? Adjusting for individual characteristics that could be associated with distress based on stress and stigma frameworks, I examine if state legal context modifies the association between abortion and distress using a nationally representative sample of American women ages 25-45. The use of state-level factors as a proxy for social context in this research has not been part of previous studies of the consequences of abortion. In order to appropriately examine the cross-level modifying effects of state level legal context on abortion status with …

Designing A Complete Community Center: Responsive Design In A Rural Setting, Sheryl Tubbs

Capstone Collection

It is a common sight to see community centers in use in various parts of the world. They have fulfilled a variety of roles in many communities for a number of years. This project’s focus is on the design of community center for a rural town. The main research question in this research asks, “What type of community center does this area need?” The sub questions also help to establish the kind of community center that is needed and wanted.

A review of current literature shows no specific way to build a community center or what to include. However there …

A Cognitive Investigation Of Computerized Walk-Through Models, Maria Carrillo

HIM 1990-2015

The growth of the World Wide Web has prompted many businesses to develop electronic commerce (e-commerce) as a domain where consumers can conveniently purchase their products (Chittaro& Ranon, 2002). Marketing and Human - Computer Interaction (HCI) research has focused on the ways interactivity can improve purchasing experience. One particular technique is through the use of computer models of products known as visual object representations (Ozok& Komlodi, 2009). Research on visual product representations is focused on models of objects typically purchased in a store, such as clothing and electronics, which can usually be manipulated and rotated as desired (Ozok& Komlodi, 2009). …

Exploring Mdma And Its Therapeutic Potential, Michael Christian

HIM 1990-2015

The clinical application of MDMA has long been an issue of great interest for doctors, counselors, researchers, and users alike. Originally synthesized by a pharmaceutical company and subsequently tested on military personnel, the drug was then used by many clinicians and physicians prior to the DEA's strict regulation of the drug, which began in the mid 1980s (Mithoefer et al, 2010). The DEA has classified MDMA a "Schedule 1" drug, which means that it among the most controlled substances, a fact which has hindered the progress of research. For a detailed explanation of the DEA's scheduling of controlled substances, please …

The Role Of Communication Technology In Adolescent Relationships And Identity Development, Betty-Ann Cyr

HIM 1990-2015

Text messaging, e-mail, instant messaging, and social networking sites are changing the way people interact with each other. The popularity of these communication technologies among emerging adults in particular has grown exponentially, with little accompanying research to understand their influences on psychosocial development. This study explores the relationship between communication technology usage (text messaging, e-mail, instant messaging, and social networking) and adolescent adjustment among 268 high school students. It was hypothesized that use of communication technology would be related to psychological adjustment, including identity development, relationship attachment and peer conflict. Participants were recruited from three public high schools in central …

Cultural Values Impact On Risk Perceptions A Comparison Of Cultural Indexes And Risk Premium, Anna Constantino

HIM 1990-2015

This paper examines how cultural values influence risk premium across the world. Cultural values are measured by four cultural indexes, power distance, uncertainty avoidance index, masculinity index, and individualism index, established by Geert Hofstede. Our methodology determines the risk premium by using the Dividend Discount Model, and then computes the regression analysis of each index's impact on average risk premiums. After analyzing 31 countries, results show the only statistically significant correlation found was between the individualism index and risk premium. The higher the individualistic nature of the culture was the higher the risk premium. This is attributed to the overconfidence …

Florida's Medical Malpractice Tort Reform A Cognitive Analysis Of Litigious, Legislative Promulgation And Jurisprudence, Joseph Formoso

HIM 1990-2015

Public opinion in recent years has been seemingly manipulated by superfluous stories, bad press, and negative commentaries regarding the perceived "Medical Malpractice Crisis." It has initiated a political attack on Florida's tort system which has resulted in making valid medical malpractice claims even more so difficult for victimized plaintiffs to pursue. After months of diligent research, and with the loyal aid of my university advisors and the dedicated law librarians I've had the honor to work with, I have thoroughly analyzed Florida's past and present medical malpractice tort reforms and governing procedural laws; in addition to arguing, by virtue of …

Dividing America? The Role Of 'Division Streets' In Residential Segregation, Kate Griffin

HIM 1990-2015

Residential segregation is an issue where multiple variables such as race, class, and income converge. Identifying the remaining variables contributing to the continuation of residential segregation is what remains in order to understand the issue completely. A possible variable that has yet to be considered is the effect that the name of a road has on the surrounding area. The objective of this research is to identify the relationship between Division Streets and residential segregation. Although this relationship may not be causal, the existence of any tie between labels as apparent as 'division' on a road where residential segregation is …

Evaluating The Psychometric Properties Of The Aggressive Driving Behavior Questionnaire (Adbq), Ajla Gurda

HIM 1990-2015

A principal axis factor analysis with promax rotation yielded four factors, or joint variations between the 20 items, that were inter-correlated with eigenvalues greater than 1. The ADBQ was also found to have high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .86). The four factors were used to form four subscales of aggressive driving behavior that included anger/aggression, speeding/minor infractions, overt expression, and judgment of other drivers. The four subscales were found to correlate with self-reported biographical and driver history data, as well as, gender differences across scales. Additional analyses were conducted using data from the present sample from the University of …

An Exploratory Factor Analysis Of Self-Reported State And Trait Guilt, Christina Lacerenza

HIM 1990-2015

The construct of guilt has been a subject of debate among philosophers, theologians, sociologists and psychologists for centuries. Disagreements concerning guilt have emerged on the definitional level, measurement level, and conceptual level due to the various ways guilt can be experienced and interpreted. Researchers continue to empirically investigate various aspects of guilt in an effort to advance and refine our understanding of the construct; however, differences among researchers in assessing the impact of guilt on psychological well-being still exist. The purpose of this study is to investigate the internal factor structure of three prominent measures of guilt. This will enable …

Inequality As A Determinant Of Growth In A Panel Of High Income Countries, Joshua Mcguire

HIM 1990-2015

This paper empirically examines the effect of income inequality on economic growth in a sample of 69 high income economies. It uses an improved inequality dataset developed by the World Institute for Development Economics Research and panel estimation techniques in an ordinary least squares regression. The results provide robust empirical evidence that rising levels of income inequality have adverse effects on growth in high income countries and indicate that, on average, a one standard deviation increase in income inequality will decrease growth by 67.91%. Results from the regression also suggest increases in human capital and international openness, decreases in the …

Determination Of The Biological Sex Of Juveniles Based Upon The Odontometrics Of The Primary Dentition, Kendall Mccollough

HIM 1990-2015

Sex determination in human skeletal remains is difficult under the most ideal circumstances; however, in juvenile skeletal remains it is nearly impossible. Currently no accepted techniques exist to identify the biological sex of the juvenile skeleton, other than, when possible, DNA. Thus, developing an accessible and non-destructive technique would benefit both the field of Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology. The ability to provide a quick and accurate determination of sex would greatly expedite the identification process in any case where juvenile skeletal remains are involved. This project aims to establish an accessible and non-destructive method for determining the sex of juvenile …

Suing Their Way Into The Newsroom How Women At The Detroit News Changed Journalism, Amanda Palmeira

HIM 1990-2015

The women's liberation movement in the 1970s and 1980s utilized various means for activism and demonstrations, but women also used the judicial system to fight for equality in the workplace. This study focuses specifically on the field of journalism and how female reporters used the courts to fight the gender discrimination that was widespread and unbridled before the creation of legislation that outlawed it. The lawsuit filed by Mary Lou Butcher and approximately 90 other women against The Detroit News is one such case that exemplifies the process of filing a gender discrimination lawsuit, as well as the events that …

Health Care Providers' Perspectives On Male Involvement In Their Sexual And Reproductive Health Care Needs, Lilian Milanes

HIM 1990-2015

Young men are at the greatest risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) within the U.S. male populations, yet are the least likely to make a sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care visit. Clinical approaches in these areas that include the outreach to and the involvement of male partners of female patients can prove particularly useful in expanding SRH care to men and can also improve health outcomes for women who have sex with men. In this study I examined UCF's healthcare provider's approaches to educate and involve men (between the ages of 18 and 30) and male partners of …