Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Methods For Aggregating Descriptive Assessment Data Prior To Conducting A Matching Analysis, Mary-Jo Robinson

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Data collected from descriptive assessments of children’s behavior and caregiver responses can be summarized according to matching theory, which states that relative rates of responding match relative rates of reinforcement. The extent to which matching applies to descriptive assessment data can be evaluated by application of the generalized matching equation (GME). However, three limitations exist in previous applications of the GME: (a) the most appropriate method of aggregating the data is unclear, (b) consequences must be manipulated in order to determine reinforcement, and (c) individual differences in sensitivity can influence the results. This Capstone project addressed those three issues by …

The Significance Of Color In Food Marketing, Faith Elizabeth Zaki

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The effect of color on the perception and expectation of flavor and taste was researched. Psychological and scientific studies were used to demonstrate the benefits of using the right colors in advertising and marketing. Color, in these studies, was proven to affect consumers’ behavior when purchasing food. Color is interpreted by different genders, races, and ages were also studied. Color is a significant marketing tool that can help attract the right target markets. Also, examples of how color has help and hindered marketing campaigns in the past were examined.

Seeing Adoption With Eyes Wide Open, Cheryl Millman

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Families who choose to adopt may do so for a variety of reasons. Some may choose to adopt due to infertility or medical issues with one or both of the parents, so they may choose to adopt to avoid the risk of passing on a genetic or medical condition. Some may believe they are saving a child who otherwise would not grow up with the benefits of a loving and supportive family, and some choose to adopt because they lack an appropriate partner with whom to have a biological child. Regardless of the reason, parents believe that with love and …

An Analysis Of Intradistrict Funding Equity In Rural And Urban School Districts, James Lynn Woodworth

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

After a long process of judicial action, states have revised the education funding distribution systems to meet the legal requirement of providing both horizontal and vertical funding equity between districts (interdistrict) in the state. A major part of the judicially required reforms was a shift to weighted student funding or funding which provides differential amounts of education funding dependent on the estimated needs of students based on their individual characteristics. However, little research has been done to examine the equity of the funding distribution systems between schools within districts (intradistrict).

Intradistrict funding inequities are likely to persist in districts today …

Baseball And Thoughts On Pay Dispersion In Teams, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

The author really likes thinking about compensation, and he really likes thinking about baseball. He loves it when he can watch baseball and think about compensation. Some baseball teams pay relatively evenly across the team and others have wide dispersion (some players are paid at the league minimum and others are earning "superstar" rewards). There is research on whether teams with one of those strategies is relatively better off (in terms of, say, wins or profits) than the other, even after controlling for total payroll, players' quality and the like. A great virtue of studying baseball -- and perhaps one …

A Qualitative Analysis Of 4-H Program Logic Models, Stephanie Phelan

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

This study explores program logic in 4-H’s positive youth development (PYD) programs. The sample was drawn from programs that have engaged in planning at both county and state levels. Using a systems perspective as a guide, this study considers the bidirectional interrelationships among multiple levels of a 4-H system. Bidirectional relationships make alignment between “local” (county) and “global” (state) levels of the 4-H system important. This study utilizes content analysis to explore activities and outcomes in 12 county-level, “local,” 4-H logic models and 1 statewide, “global” 4-H logic model. Logic models were compared within “local-local” models and between “local-global” models. …

Types Of Procrastinators: Perfectionists Vs. Crisis-Making Procrastinators, Terry Mcroberts

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

The purpose of the study was to see if college students who procrastinate show differences in the different types of procrastination. The two types of procrastination used in the study are perfectionists and crisis-making procrastinators. Perfectionist procrastinators are individuals who have difficulties completing a task due to lack of satisfaction, and Crisis-making procrastinators are individuals who postpone task until the there is a short amount of time left. The hypothesis is that college students are more likely to be crisis-making procrastinators rather than perfectionist procrastinators when completing an assignment. The method involved surveying college students in the Lindenwood Participant Pool …

Leadership Department Newsletter - May 2013, Andrews University

Leadership Department Newsletter 2013

No abstract provided.

Managing Social Security Disability & Other Public Benefits: Development Of A Guide For Consumers And Providers, Stephanie L. Derochers

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

One in five Americans has a disability, making it the largest minority group in the U.S. (Soffer, McDonald, & Blanck, 2010). In 2011, 13.4 million working-aged adults received a disability cash benefit from the Social Security Administration (Kregel, 2012).

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is the federal agency responsible for managing, executing and overseeing retirement, survivor, old-age and disability benefits. There are over 1,500 Social Security offices and over 65,000 employees nationwide (SSA, 2013). SSA manages at least five disability benefit programs: Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Disabled Widow(er) Benefit (DWB), Childhood Disability Benefit (CDB), though …

Geotechnics And Regionalism: The Lineage Of Thought From John Wesley Powell To Benton Mackaye, Nikkilee Cataldo

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

John Wesley Powell and Benton MacKaye, each developed exceptionally comprehensive and innovative regional planning visions that had a great deal in common. They both were Jeffersonian idealists, who considered those who tilled the soil and worked the land for primary production a class of men above all the rest.

This paper will explore some of the fundamental theory behind the work of both Powell and MacKaye, as well as examples of the plans that they developed. It will become clear that the two men were working from very similar theoretical vantage points, though in relatively different socio-political eras. It will …

Grassroots Peacebuilding In Northern Ireland And The Border Counties: Elements Of An Effective Model, Olga Skarlato, Sean Byrne, Kawser Ahmed, Julie Marie Hyde, Peter Karari

Peace and Conflict Studies

Following the 1998 Belfast/Good Friday Agreement many community-based organizations became involved in localized peace-building activities in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties. Drawing financial support from the EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation and the International Fund for Ireland, these organizations adopted various strategic mechanisms to implement their projects –synchronizing bottom-up development initiatives with top-level government policies. Their effectiveness has already been felt in Northern Ireland as reduced political violence and improved socioeconomic conditions. However, the long-term sustainability of this work is questionable, affected as it is by continued intercommunity segregation, low macro-level political support, and global economic instability. This …

Book Review: Occupying New Levels: A Comparative Review Of Occupy Nation And Networks Of Outrage And Hope, Kevin Revier

Peace and Conflict Studies

No abstract provided.

A Policymaker's Guide To Feed-In Tariffs: Encouraging A Responsible Transition To Renewable Electricity In California, Roland P. Thayer

Pomona Senior Theses

The feed-in tariff is a flexible, yet effective mechanism in promoting the proliferation of renewable electricity in California. The tariff creates a stable investment environment that protects both the utilities and the renewable electricity generators. Not only does the system foster capacity growth, but also technological advancement to the point where renewable electricity can compete in the market without assistance. From an environmental standpoint, the feed-in tariff contributes significantly towards achieving the emissions reduction goals set forth by AB32 without causing harmful increases to electricity prices.

The feed-in tariff model has been used in countries all over the world and …

See You Later, Aggregator: How Hot News Misappropriation Deters Aggregators Without Overprotecting Facts, Wern Ai Tan

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

As traditional media scramble to find ways to monetize online content, the ease of digital publishing and online dissemination of news have led to a rise of a new form of news media: News aggregators. News aggregators compile information from journalism websites by various means, often drawing potential readers away from traditional news outlets, thus siphoning off advertising revenue from traditional journalism outlets, with little to no cost to the aggregators. News establishments have sought legal redress by claiming copyright infringement and hot news misappropriation, a state unfair competition common law principle created in 1918. Hot news misappropriation prevents direct …

Meet Them Where They Gather: An Analysis Of Nasa’S Communications Approach For The 21st Century, Amanda D. Stein

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Theses

Since the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been tasked with not only governing the United States’ space activities, but also sharing those efforts and subsequent findings with the American public. When President Barack Obama issued the Open Government Directive in 2009, NASA was well positioned to meet the objectives. Today, the administration has built one of the most successful web-based information-sharing presences by government agency, largely by tailoring communications efforts to reach the public on popular social media platforms. This paper will explore how NASA has utilized two-way symmetrical communications …

Police Militarization: Attitudes Towards The Militarization Of The American Police, Phillip T. Wyrick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Police militarization is a critical contemporary issue in the criminal justice field; however, only a minor amount of research exists on this issue. Almost no research exists on public attitudes toward police militarization, which is very important given the social context. A contextual literature review covers a brief history of American police with emphasis on key events leading to modern police militarization, such as the Munich Incident and Columbine. Also covered are research topics that help outline the need for research on public attitudes in this field, such as the amount and use of PPUs by Peter Kraska and the …

Media Influences And Student Attitudes Toward Law Enforcement Figures Within Northeast Tennessee, George T. Ford Iv

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to analyze student attitudes toward various law enforcement figures and to obtain a better understanding of public relations, police effectiveness, and media influences in Northeastern Tennessee. This literature review provided a preliminary analysis of related works to advance the accuracy in conducting and examining future studies. The fields that deserve the most analysis are the underlying dimensions associated with public attitudes about police effectiveness, the media’s impact on public attitudes toward police, and the individual, external, and contextual variables that influence public attitudes toward police.

Identification Of The Common Salient Characteristics Of Successful Intergovernmental Cooperation And Consolidation Of Governmental Services In Kent County, George A. Erickcek, Brad R. Watts

Reports

No abstract provided.

Breckenridge Shelter Geoarchaeology, Trevor John Seekamp

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My graduate research mainly focuses on Breckenridge Shelter (3CR002), Carroll County, Arkansas. As a geoarchaeologist, my concerns are geomorphological and geological processes affecting the shelter and surrounding hill slope. Breckenridge is one of several similar, Pine Hollow bluff shelters, about Beaver Lake, an impoundment of the White River, in northwest Arkansas.

Considering Kranzhügeln: An Exploration Into The Structural Variation And Environmental/Spatial Distribution Of The Third Millennium "Kranzhügel" Sites, Elise Jakoby

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

First named by von Oppenheim over a century ago, the distinctive third millennium BC kranzhügeln, or "wreath-mound," sites of the Syrian Desert remain a poorly understood phenomenon. While archaeological investigations have been undertaken at a handful of kranzhügel-like sites including Tell Chuera, Tell al-Rawda, and Tell Beydar, the overall number, geographic distribution, and morphological variation of so-called "kranzhügel" sites remains largely unexplored.

1960s-era CORONA satellite imagery available through the CORONA Atlas Project (http://corona.cast.uark.edu/) now enables more systematic documentation of the kranzhügel sites and the production site-scale visual and quantitative analysis. Analysis of kranzhügel distribution and morphology …

Ski Joring Races: 2013, Christine Oschell

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

The purpose of this study was to provide the organizers of the Whitefish Ski Joring Races with an understanding of their attendees and the total money spent in the area by those surveyed (Kalispell or Whitefish). The population of interest was participants and attendees of the 2013 Montana Ski Joring Races. Surveys were completed on-site.

Creative Capitalization: A Strategic Investment Plan For The Crescent City Community Land Trust, Department Of Planning And Urban Studies, University Of New Orleans

Planning and Urban Studies Reports and Presentations

This report outlines an investment strategy to guide the Crescent City Community Land Trust (CCCLT) in the use of its capital investment fund, the Crescent City Futures Fund. The Fund will provide seed money for development projects in order to incentivize public and private entities to invest funds in projects that target low-to-moderate income (LMI) residents. Since the Fund’s monies are limited, it is imperative that the CCCLT identify those development projects that allow it to most effectively accomplish its objectives. To that end, this investment strategy includes three components that are intended to help the CCCLT evaluate and decide …

Identifying Subjective Statements In News Titles Using A Personal Sense Annotation Framework, Polina Panicheva, John Cardiff, Paolo Rosso

Articles

Subjective language contains information about private states. The goal of subjective language identification is to determine that a private state is expressed, without considering its polarity or specific emotion. A component of word meaning, “Personal Sense,” has clear potential in the field of subjective language identification, as it reflects a meaning of words in terms of unique personal experience and carries personal characteristics. In this paper we investigate how Personal Sense can be harnessed for the purpose of identifying subjectivity in news titles. In the process, we develop a new Personal Sense annotation framework for annotating and classifying subjectivity, polarity, …

Tentative Transitions And Gendered Pathways: Exploring The Revolving Door Of Young Adult Homelessness, Rachel M. Schmitz

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The number of homeless young adults living in unstable conditions is a growing social problem. However, less is known about the multiple transitions young people experience as they enter into street life and how these pathways differ for males and females. While some young people may run away from home never to return, others may move between housed environments and homelessness, creating a revolving door effect. The homeless experience for young adults can also potentially lead to developmental problems in later life such as the lack of stable employment due to criminal activity and an overall cycle of homelessness that …

The Democratic Landscape: Envisioning Democracy Through Aldo Leopold's Land Ethic, Stacey L. Matrazzo

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

Since its founding, nature and nature-ownership have been central to American democracy, with property ownership remaining a fundamental part of its citizens' idea of liberty and freedom. Although initially constrained by common law principles, private property rights have varied over the centuries and have largely ignored the land's natural features. Landownership today tends to equate more with individual power than public responsibility. As a result of individualistic actions that have degraded the landscape and neglected the interdependence of humans with the greater biotic community, the divide between humans and nature has grown. In his groundbreaking essay, "The Land Ethic," Aldo …

To Conform Or Not To Conform: An Examination Of The Effects Of Mock Jury Deliberation On Individual Jurors, Ashley S. Bowser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The jury method is a unique social setting in the Criminal Justice system that provides opportunity for social influence to occur. Questions about the formation of jurors’ individual and collective decisions have stimulated a great deal of interest and research. This study is a review of the juror decision-making process and the various sources of influence that can affect it. Mock jurors were asked to review a mock criminal trial as well as the testimony of 2 witnesses. Upon reviewing the case, a predeliberation verdict (guilty or not guilty) and the degree of certainty of that decision was made. Once …

Claiming Citizenship: Las Vegas' Conventional Women's Organizations Establishing Citizenship Through Civic Engagement, Cynthia Cicero

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many historians of American women portray women's organized civic engagement and work to attain social, economic, and legal equality as feminism. American feminism has been expanded and applied in scholarship. The American feminists of the 1960s wanted to alter the male power structure and redefine conventional notions of womanhood. However, many middle-class women who participated in community and civic organizations valued their roles as wives, mothers, and homemakers, expressing their citizenship and community work as an extension of these roles. Their motivation in pursuing equality was to gain full citizenship status.

In this thesis, I argue that viewing women's civic …

Participatory Design Of Purdue University’S Active Learning Center Final Report, Nancy Fried Foster, Teresa Balser, Rae Lynn Boes, Dianna Deputy, William Ferrall, Michael Fosmire, Jeremy R. Garritano, Amanda Gill, Vicki Killion, Monica Kirkwood, Clarence Maybee, Kristen Twardowski, Jane Yatcilla, Tao Zhang

Libraries Reports

Purdue University’s commitment to active learning requires facilities that support small-­‐group work, peer learning, the use of technology, and other classroom innovations. The Active Learning Center is intended to provide classroom space combined seamlessly with library space to meet these needs. Members of the Libraries faculty and staff conducted a series of information-­‐gathering activities to gain insight into the range of activities, work practices and preferences that the new building must support. It is our hope that the building will indeed support these activities, serve as a centrally located, flagship building for Purdue University, and support and inspire learning for …

Land Management, U.S. Bureau Of, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides a historical overview and current assessment of the role played by the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management in its ownership of federal lands in western states and its efforts to balance economic development of natural resources and conservation of these resources on these lands.

Energy, U.S. Department Of, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Scholarship and Research

Provides information about the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessor agencies and how DOE influences federal energy policy and scientific research in the western U.S.