Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Construction Of A Multidimensional Adhd Self-Report Measure: A Pilot Study, Heather Potts

Dissertations - ALL

Recent research on adult onset Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has led to an increase in evaluations of college students and adults suspected of the disorder, as well as increased concern that some may feign or malinger ADHD characteristics in order to obtain a diagnosis and associated incentives (e.g., stimulant medications and academic accommodations). Faking ADHD is especially easy when the diagnosis is based on self-report, symptoms-only rating scales. Diagnostic accuracy improves with the assessment of symptoms, impairment, and symptom validity, but this type of comprehensive self-report measure is currently not available. The aim of this study was to examine the …

The Relationships Between Confucian Family Values And Attitudes Toward Divorce In Mainland China: An Exploratory Study, Ruiwen Zheng

Dissertations - ALL

The purpose of this study is to examine relationships between Confucian family values and Chinese attitudes toward divorce. The low acceptability of divorce, negative attitudes toward divorce, as well as low national divorce rate are evident in China. Confucian family values, which have influenced Chinese education, moral and ethics for thousands of years, were hypothesized to have an impact on the phenomena based on the Theory of Reasoned Action. There were 289 Chinese college students recruited to participate in this study. The Filial Piety scale (Yeh, 2003), Collectivism scale (Chen & West, 2008), and Attitudes toward Divorce scale (Kinnaird & …

Oil Industry In Uganda: The Socio-Economic Effects On The People Of Kabaale Village, Hoima, And Bunyoro Region In Uganda, Miriam Kyomugasho

Dissertations - ALL

ABSTRACT

This thesis examines the socio-economic effects of oil industry on the people of Kabaale Village, Hoima, and Bunyoro region in Uganda. The thesis analyses the current political economy of Uganda and how Uganda is prepared to utilize the proceeds from the oil industry for the development of the country and its people. In addition, the research examines the effects of industry on the people of Uganda by analyzing how the people of Kabaale in Bunyoro region were affected by the plans to construct oil refinery in their region. This field research was done using qualitative methods and the Historical …

Intuition: A Silver Lining For Clinicians With Complex Trauma, Sarah Dyanne Stanton

Dissertations - ALL

The following research study intends to explore one potential aspect of the

etiology of intuition in clinician populations, which is complex trauma. The relationship between early developmental trauma is ascertained through the Childhood Traumatic Events Scale (Pennebaker & Susman, 1988), which consists of events that respondents could report having experienced prior to the age of 17. Additional outcome measures that were given include the Post-Traumatic Growth inventory (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 1996), the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (Spreng et al., 2009) and the Types of Intuition Scale (Pretz et al., 2014). There were 28 participants, 23 of which reported one trauma or …

Parenting Styles, Effortful Control, And Academic Outcomes Among Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Effect Of Activation Control, Yemo Duan

Dissertations - ALL

The present study examined the associations between parenting styles and adolescents’ academic performance, with a specific focus on examining the mediating role of activation control among Chinese adolescents. A framework of Chinese parenting style, which consists of three dimensions, rejection, emotional warmth, and over-protection, was utilized to predict activation control and academic outcomes. Structural models were fitted with the data collected from a Chinese sample of adolescents aged 15 to 17 years. Parenting styles were found to be associated with children’s activation control skills and academic outcomes. Activation control skills were found to be beneficial for promoting educational attainment expectation …

Disparities In Student Of Color Education And Resulting Racial Microaggressions: Can Mft Training Programs Do More?, Sarah R. Cort

Dissertations - ALL

Abstract

It appears that most of Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) literature is written for white therapists and their experiences with clients. This impacts the MFT educational experiences of students of color. When students of color are engaged in classrooms, internship experiences, and supervision groups not crafted for their unique experiences with clients as it pertains to race, power dynamics, and other differences highlighted in the therapy room, students are left to decide for themselves how to address these issues in therapy. Furthermore, the lack of literature and discussion in training programs, and the microaggressions that are left unattended and …

Binge-Watching Rate As A Predictor Of Viewer Transportation Mechanisms, Stephen Marshall Warren

Dissertations - ALL

Binge-watching has yet to be adequately analyzed and researched to determine its effects upon viewers, despite the fact that nine in ten Americans engage in the activity (Crupi, 2015). While some studies have attempted to discover causes or effects of the activity, most research fails to capture the viewing aspects of binge-watching that make the experience unique. This thesis attempted to more specifically define binge-watching, as well as measure its association with viewer transportation – viewer immersion – into the visual narrative. A survey design facilitated the exploration of any linkages between the amount of a viewer’s binge-watching and his …

Three Essays On The Links Between Local Government Structural Changes And Public Finance, Pengju Zhang

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation, comprised of three essays, explains and evaluates local government structural changes from a public finance perspective. The first essay examines the determinants of the rapid growth of special districts, while the next two essays estimate the effects on property values of school district consolidation and village dissolution in New York State, respectively. Together, the three essays contribute to our understanding of the causes and consequences of local government structural changes in the United States.

By bring together two central trends in state and local public finance, namely, the expansion of state-imposed tax and expenditure limitations (TELs) and the …

Perspective Taking And Threat: Do Threatening Situations Have An Effect On Helping Intentions And Perceived Expectations?, Joseph R. Castro

Dissertations - ALL

An important skill for interpersonal communication is the ability to take the perspective of another person. Taking the perspective of a target can aid the perceiver in predicting the target’s mental states and subsequent behaviors. This can be especially important in threatening situations. How a member of an advantaged group believes that disadvantaged group members will react to a threatening situation may influence the advantaged member’s actions and beliefs. In the first study, female and male participants read information regarding gender while using three perspectives; their own perspective, predicting the other gender’s responses, or imagining their responses if they were …

New Destinations Of Empire: Imperial Migration From The Marshall Islands To Northwest Arkansas, Emily Mitchell-Eaton

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation examines Marshall Islander migration to Arkansas as an outcome of an international agreement, the Compact of Free Association, between the U.S. and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), a former U.S. territory. While the Compact marked the formal end of U.S. colonial administration over the islands, it also re-entrenched imperial power relations between the two countries, at once consolidating U.S. military access to the islands and creating a Marshallese diaspora whose largest resettlement site is now Springdale, Arkansas. As a result, Springdale, an “all-white town” for much of the 20th century, has recently been remade by Marshallese …

“Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?” The Use Of Popular Music After Hurricane Katrina, Jennifer Billinson

Dissertations - ALL

This single-case study explores the use of popular music in response to the destruction of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005. Using research in sociology of disaster and uses and gratifications theory in mass communication, data collected included original music written in response to the hurricane, major benefit concerts that aired in the wake, and re-appropriated music that developed new meaning when used in conjunction to the case. Analysis yielded that popular music was used to raise awareness, raise funds, and express emotion following the disaster. Common themes throughout include the impact of genre on how this was …

Women As Fish: Physical Movement And Social Mobility In Contemporary Vietnam, Linh Khanh Nguyen

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation examines the changing rurality and the profound social stratification in contemporary Vietnam through the lens of rural-to-rural female migration. It is based on eighteen months of ethnographic research in a rural offshore fishing community in northern Vietnam called Hải Thành. I study the migration of two groups of women: 1) transnational women, who are young Hải Thành girls that marry Taiwanese and South Korean men, and migrate to mostly rural areas in East Asia, and 2) translocal women, who are women from other rural Vietnamese communities who migrate to Hải Thành to marry local men. My dissertation analyzes …

Awareness, Perception, And Self-Reported Purchasing Behaviors Of College Students Regarding Front-Of-Package Nutrition Labeling Systems And Symbols, Audrey L. Kessler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traditional students enroll in post-secondary institutions during emerging adulthood. College enrollment is increasing and adult weight gain occurs most rapidly during the college-age years, with poor food decisions as a potential contributing factor. The present study examined the awareness, perception, and self-reported purchasing behaviors of college students regarding four front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labeling systems and symbols. Students were sent a 24-question web-based survey, with 908 completed surveys that met the research criteria. There were 888 (98.3%) respondents who recognized at least one of the four presented FOP nutrition labels. There were no significant differences between the groups that recognized one …

Development And Validation Of The Nebraska Department Of Correctional Services Prison Classification System, Zachary Hamilton, Alex Kigerl

Reports

Over the last 45 years, the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) has made two substantial changes to its classification system. The first system was created and implemented in the 1970s. In 2005, Patricia Hardyman was contracted to update and modify the classification and reclassification system. Using statistical analyses of available data, a set of prediction models were created to score inmates on items that predicted future infraction behavior. However, the primary issues of the tools were that inmates’ scores were routinely over-classified and that substantial uses of overrides (approximately 40%) were indicated. After a review of the tools’ development …

Development And Validation Of The Nebraska Department Of Correctional Services Prison Classification System, Zachary Hamilton, Alex Kigerl

Reports

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Over the last 45 years, the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) has made two substantial changes to its classification system. The first system was created and implemented in the 1970s. In 2005, Patricia Hardyman was contracted to update and modify the classification and reclassification system. Using statistical analyses of available data, a set of prediction models were created to score inmates on items that predicted future infraction behavior. However, the primary issues of the tools were that inmates’ scores were routinely over-classified and that substantial uses of overrides (approximately 40%) were indicated. After a review of the …

Treatment Recidivism In Adolescents With Mental Illness: A Focused Applied Medical Ethnography, Chukwudi C. Ekwemalor

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background

Treatment recidivism, described as frequent unplanned relapse readmissions, is a national problem predominant in adolescents with mental illness with significant socioeconomic consequences. Adolescents living with mental illness are a sub-culture of adolescence, the critical growth period of developmental and social transition from childhood to adulthood. The main triggers of treatment recidivism in this population are not fully understood from previous studies.

Purpose

The study purpose was to explore treatment recidivism with the following aims:

1. To illuminate treatment recidivism from the perspectives of recidivist adolescents with mental illness.

2. To describe the main factors that contribute to treatment recidivism …

Role Of Stress And Social Resources On Biomarkers And Fatigue In Staff Nurses: A Biobehavioral Approach, Mona Cockerham

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Purpose

Consecutive 12-hr workdays can contribute to increased stress and fatigue and negative biological responses in nurses, potentially compromising quality of patient care and safety. The primary purpose of this study was to assess changes in stress, fatigue, and biological responses (salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase) over three consecutive 12-hr workdays in acute care nurses and how stress and social resources function in predicting fatigue and biological responses.

Methods

In a prospective study, 81 acute care nurses completed questionnaires and provided saliva samples four times: pre-shifts and post-shifts of day 1 and day 3.

Results

Although stress and biological responses did …

Salem‐Keizer School District Population And Enrollment Forecast Update 2016‐17 To 2035‐36, Portland State University. Population Research Center, Charles Rynerson, Nicholas Chun

School District Enrollment Forecast Reports

The district‐wide and individual school forecasts have been updated to incorporate 2015‐16 enrollments by school and the latest birth and residential development data, and have been extended to include forecasts for 2025‐26 and 2035‐36. For more demographic information about the Salem‐Keizer School District (SKSD), see “Salem‐Keizer School District Population and Enrollment Forecasts, 2015‐16 to 2024‐25” prepared by Portland State University Population Research Center (PRC) in June 2015.

A More-Product-Less-Process Approach To Cataloging Recordings, Susannah Cleveland

University Libraries Faculty Publications

Part of the “Remain in Light: Archival Practice for Popular Music Collections” panel at the annual meeting of the Society of American Archivists, Atlanta, GA, August 2016.

Acoustic And Perceptual Correlates Of L2 Fluency: The Role Of Prolongations, Jessica Liane Rohr

Linguistics & TESOL Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation examines the contribution of lengthened segments/syllables or prolongations to the utterance and perceived fluency of native and non-native speech via three related studies. First, utterance fluency was measured using speech samples collected from a narrative task and along nine temporal variables of fluency (mean length of run, speech rate, mean length of syllable, mean length of silent pause, and rates of silent pause, filled pause, self-corrections, repetitions, and prolongations) (Skehan, 2007; Bosker, 2014). Results showed native speakers spoke significantly faster and with fewer disfluencies than their non-native counterparts. Prolongations were further investigated for frequency, duration, syntactic and phonological …

Leadership In Design And Construction Education And Practice, Michael Asada, Al Bradley, Guy Thigpen, John Pourdehnad, Phd, Tom Guggino, Dominick Volini, Phd, Kimberlee Douglas, Barbara Klinkhammer, Larry Starr, Phd

School of Continuing and Professional Studies Faculty Papers

It has been conveyed that inspiration and creativity are the greatest strengths of architects. Those who possess them often demonstrate innovation and ability to transform diverse, often contradictory, information into a cohesive design. Yet, having architectural and design talent may suggest to some that they also have a broader skill set. Among the competencies that do not necessarily co-exist with inspiration and creativity are those associated with managing or leading a complex project or organization.

Leadership and many of the administrative and project management competencies needed to operate in the modern complex environment of the Architecture profession are largely absent …

Snatching Defeat From The Jaws Of Victory: The Curious Case [Study] Of California’S Proposition 37, Dave Brundage

Masters Theses

In 2012, California became the first state to qualify a ballot measure for public vote on the topic of genetically modified food labeling. Proposition 37, The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act, enjoyed overwhelming support leading up to the November elections. However, an 11th hour surge by the opposition led to its defeat. This case study examines the media messages deployed by the pro and antilabeling groups in an effort to understand how each side attempted to curry favor to their cause. Content analysis was performed on 27 television, radio, and internet advertisements broadcast during the campaign. Focused …

Discriminative Stimulus Effects Of 3,4-Methylenedioxypyrovalerone And 4-Methylmethcathinone, Michael D. Berquist

Dissertations

Recent escalation in the popularity of recreational synthetic cathinone (“bath salts”) use has prompted numerous scientific investigations of the neurochemical and behavioral effects of 3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV) and 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC), two of the more common chemical constituents of these illicit “bath salts”. Previous neurochemical and electrophysiological studies have revealed that MDPV functions as a blocker, and 4-MMC as a substrate, at monoamine transporters, and both produce transient increases in extracellular monoamines. In addition, previous research has demonstrated that MDPV and 4-MMC support self-administration in nonhuman experimental subjects, and their rewarding effects are observed when paired with contextual cues in nonhuman models …

Understanding Factors Related To Negative Mental Health Outcomes Following Childhood Unintentional Injuries, Jennifer T. Kuhn

Dissertations

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death for children ages 0-19 and account for 9.2 million emergency room visits in the United States each year (Borse et al., 2008). Research shows that approximately 20% of children meet criteria for PTSD following an unintentional injury (Ostrowski et al., 2011). There are several factors that may contribute to the development of PTSD including caregivers’ posttraumatic stress symptoms after the injury event. Research has not explained the association between caregivers’ PTSD and children’s risk for PTSD symptoms, but it is possible that caregivers with PTSD may be modeling anxious behaviors to their …

Three Essays On Informal Payments In The Health Care Sector In Russia, Alexandra Polovinka

Dissertations

Health care is one of the most corrupt sectors in Russia. In 2015 twenty percent of patients paid a bribe for the health care services once or twice, and thirteen percent more than twice (Russian Public Opinion Research Center, 2015). Using data on adults from over 5,000 households in Russia, this three-essay study analyzes out-of-pocket formal (official) and informal (unofficial, bribes) payments for the health care.

In the first essay, I study whether there is a difference in the amount of unofficial pay-ments across five types of health care services (ambulance, inpatient, outpatient, dental, and medical checkups) and two types …

Acceptance And Commitment Therapy For Adolescent Difficulties With Emotion Regulation: An Open Trial, Julissa A. Duenas

Dissertations

Research suggests that youth rates of mental health problems are high and that evidence-based treatments for these populations exist; however, there is a significant problem in accessibility of mental health services. Recent movements in the mental health field have shifted focus to transdiagnostic dimensions of behavior in attempt to target a broader range of psychological difficulties across larger populations. One such construct, emotion regulation, has been defined as an ability to have awareness and acceptance of emotions and control urges and impulses in order to behave towards a goal. Emotion regulation has been linked to numerous internalizing and externalizing behavioral …

The House That Propaganda Built: Historicizing The Democracy Promotion Efforts And Measurement Tools Of Freedom House, Emily A. Zerndt

Dissertations

Democracy promotion has been an overt objective of American foreign policy ever since Woodrow Wilson declared it the goal of WWI. This dissertation examines the influence of Freedom House on those policy decisions as well as academia. Freedom House was created in 1941 with the “quiet encouragement” of both Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt to combat the pervasive isolationism in the United States. Erected as the Western counterpoint to the Braunhaus, the Nazi propaganda center, Freedom House has distinctly political origins. Over the course of its institutional life, Freedom House has evolved from keeping a “balance sheet” on the level of …

Exploring Interpersonal Variables Within The Supervisory Relationship: The Role Of Supervisory Alliance, Supervisory Style, And Supervisee Attachment, Kathryn Wierda

Dissertations

In the current study, I examined the role of the supervisory working alliance, supervisory style, and supervisee attachment within the supervisory relationship. A sample of 79 supervisees from a large Midwestern University in the United States, as well as 26 supervisors from a large Midwestern University and from the surrounding community, participated in this study. Interested participants were asked to complete an online survey, which included instruments measuring the supervisory working alliance, supervisory style, and supervisee attachment. Correlation analyses and multiple linear regressions were used to examine the relationship between and among supervisee attachment, supervisory style, and the supervisory working …

Assessing Change In Attachment Security Of Adolescents At Residential Therapeutic Programs, Laura Santa Thum

Dissertations

Adolescents with significant, persistent behavioral and mental health problems are increasingly being treated in private residential treatment programs (RTPs). Recent research at such programs shows that adolescents’ symptoms improve over the course of treatment and that such positive results persist up to a year post discharge. This study attempts to address what is occurring below the symptom level by exploring if attachment security increases as symptoms improve over the course of treatment in private RTPs. The level of attachment security was assessed along the dimensions of attachment avoidance and anxiety as a general construct and according to specific relationships (with …

Establishing And Testing Conditioned Reinforcers: Evaluating The Effects Of The Discriminative Stimulus Procedure Using Intermittency With Individuals With Developmental Disabilities, Yannick A. Schenk

Dissertations

A common characteristic of individuals with developmental disabilities is a restricted range of interest. Developing procedures to establish new reinforcers for such individuals can promote the acquisition of new skills and ameliorate decreases in motivation related to satiation. Several procedures for conditioning reinforcers have shown to be effective in the research literature for establishing neutral stimuli as conditioned reinforcers. Most of this literature is basic research with animal subjects (e.g., rats, pigeons). Few applied studies have directly evaluated the use of these procedures. Additional research is necessary to determine their effectiveness. The purposes of this study were to: (a) evaluate …