Sociology Commons^™

The Depo-Provera Controversy: A Sociological Analysis, Pamela A. Hayman

Masters Theses

This study is a sociological analysis of the Depo- Provera Controversy. The strong programme in the sociology of science was the method employed for examining the social and political dimensions of the decision-making process underlying science and technology as it relates to the approval of Depo-Provera as a contraceptive in the United States. The data were consistent with the social constructionist perspective, rather than the positivistic view of science. In almost every instance, scientific conclusions followed alignment rather than arising from objective, universalistic analysis. Upjohn scientists and family planners concluded that Depo-Provera was safe and advocated its use; feminists and …

Robbery: Toward A Multidimensional Approach, Dick Taver'shima Andzenge

Masters Theses

This study identifies some major factors related to robbery, categorizes them, and attempts to assess their interrelatedness. The major purpose of the study is to explore how these factors can be studied more effectively in an attempt to explain the crime. Data on randomly selected convicted robbery cases in the Kalamazoo County during 1979-1983 were compiled and analyzed.

The study shows that factors related to robbery fall into four categories. These are: (a) social factors, (b) Individual offender characteristics, (c) situational factors, and (d) push factors (or motivational factors). The results of the analyses showed that these factors are closely …

Effect Of Sex-Biased And Sex-Fair Item Selections On Interest Inventory Results, Christine Elizabeth Franklin-Panek

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which sex-biased items on an interest inventory stereotype the occupational interests by gender. Subjects were 194 eighth through twelfth grade students in rural, central Illinois public schools. A representative sample of students were administered a survey to determine which of these selection items depicted activities and occupations most commonly associated with males, females or both genders equally. Next, the interest inventory was revised to include only sex-fair terms.

Significant differences in occupational interests were found between males and females on the pretest using sex-biased selection items, with 73.3% of …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Leadership Responsibility And The Career Aspirations And Salience Of College Women, Deborah R. Stevenson

Masters Theses

Expanded career opportunities for women have emerged following the women's movement and equal opportunity legislation. Today, statistics show more women, single, married and female heads of the household, are in the work force than ever before. Yet, women are not entering those jobs in which greater earning and advancement potential exist and professional women have not advanced significantly.

The literature discussing issues related to women and work indicates that leadership responsibility may play a role in raising both the career aspirations and salience of women. If this is so then providing appropriate leadership experience emerges as a potential tool for …

Approximating An Image: Beauty Among Female University Students, Gamine Beth Meckel

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Employment Trends And The Population Identified As Visually Impaired, Donna Mumford-Hinrichsen

Masters Theses

In an effort to obtain careers that are competitive, with advancement opportunities, persons identified as visually impaired have been blocked by attitudinal barriers of society. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of employer attitudes on employment opportunities for persons who are visually impaired in competition with individuals who are sighted. The population surveyed was a group of 200 employers of accountants field in the state of Illinois. The study was conducted using a questionnaire and a set of eight resumes of fictional individuals. Employers received packets containing the materials and were asked to review the resumes …

The Effects Of Validation Versus Reality Orientation Approaches In Music Therapy With Disoriented Elderly Adults, Debra Diane Harvey

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Validation and Reality Orientation in a music therapy setting with disoriented elderly adults. Subjects (age 80 and older) were divided into four treatment groups, two each of Validation and Reality Orientation (total n=19). The groups met for thirty minutes, five days a week, for six weeks. Pre and posttest measures of orientation, ego integrity, and behavior were compared using a one-way analysis of variance on mean gain scores. Results showed a significant improvement (p<.05) on the measure of ego integrity in the Validation treatment groups. No other significant differences were found for either treatment group on the measures of orientation or behavior. Recommendations for further investigation include more attention to specific levels or orientation and behavior prior to treatment, and the use of a larger sample population.

Male-Female Differences In Expressed Work Attitudes: An Examination Of Sex Roles And Gender Identity, Keith A. Woods

Masters Theses

This study investigates the existence of sex-based differences in attitudes toward social relations in the work environment. Both sex role (male vs. female) and gender-identity (agentic and communal aspects of self-conception) were related to work attitudes within the context of situational (attitude disclosure) and dispositional (public self-consciousness) factors. Subjects' attitudes toward the work environment were measured by a newly-developed Work Attitude Questionnaire (WAQ) which assessed preferences for personal vs. counterpersonal and preferences for conflict vs. conflict-avoidance in social relations in the work environment.

Significantly different work attitudes were expressed by male and female subjects: males expressed greater counterpersonal and lower …

A Comparison Of Two Methods Of Presenting Nutrition Education To Senior Citizens Participating In A Congregate Meal Program, Janice M. Williams

Masters Theses

Senior citizens participating in a congregate meal program received nutrition education lessons in two different ways. One group received nutrition lectures, a second group recieved nutrition lectures accompanied by printed material. A third group served as a control. Each group contained an urban and rural site. The nutrition lectures and printed material centered on the Basic Four food groups. The lessons were presented to the subjects once a week in four successive weeks. The length of the nutrition lecture for each food group was twenty minutes. The senior citizen took pre and posttests to measure an increase or decrease in …

The Creationist Movement: Science, Religion And Ideology, George M. Bevins

Masters Theses

A sample of literature produced by participants in the "creationist movement" is examined in an effort to delineate the ideology of the movement. This ideology is seen as a repertoire of images of science, evolution and society which is used by creationists in their efforts to propagate their movement. Based on this literature, an "ideological substructure of belief" within the creationist movement is described, consisting of their belief in a created normative order in the world and of their fear that this order is breaking down. It is argued that the various particular aspects of the creationists' social ideology, their …

Understanding Needs And Concerns Of Black Students In Pursuit Of Higher Education, Thomas M. Caulfield

Masters Theses

The problem of this study was to increase the general publics' awareness of the difficulties Black Americans faced in pursuit of higher education.

The procedure was a twofold process. First, the writer reviewed some of the pre-college variables that affected the Black student. Second, the needs and concerns of the Black student at a predominantly White University were studied by the use of a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to three groups on the Eastern Illinois University Campus. The first group was comprised of twenty-five Black students that were currently enrolled in the University. The second group was twenty Black …

Establishing The Essential Building Blocks For Understanding Collective Behavior, Janet L. Heitgerd

Masters Theses

It has been argued by researchers that collective behavior, as a field of study in sociology, lacks important theoretical and methodological developments. This has resulted in limited empirical knowledge of collective behavior. There exist many inadequacies in our present theoretical development. These include a failure to not only specify a social dimension of collective behavior, but also, to separate cause and effect, and to describe collective behavior. Scholars have argued that in the study of collective behavior, we are lacking sound, theoretical perspectives and definitions of collective behavior, which have resulted in poor and unsystematic observations of phenomena.

As a …

Christianity And Delinquency: A Study Of Religiosity And Delinquency Involvement, Brenda T. King

Masters Theses

Much of the previous research on the relationship between religiosity and juvenile delinquency suggests that religiosity does not deter its adherents from moving toward anti-social behavior. Using a quite narrow definition of Christian, this conclusion was tested. Three questions were posed: (1) Does knowledge of religious status aid in predicting delinquency?: (2) Do Christians engage in less delinquency?; and (3) Do Christians with higher levels of religious commitment engage in less delinquency? The answer to each question is "No." There is very little difference between Christian and non-Christian delinquency patterns. The only significant difference uncovered was with life time delinquency …

Sampling The Invisible: Occupational Status In Victorian England, Rosamond Robbert

Masters Theses

Except for the highly unusual, women have been historically invisible. Based on the British Census of 1851, this exploratory and descriptive study uses a subsample of all heads of households drawn from a one-percent cluster sample of the population of Greater London. The theoretical model is stratification based on occupation, age, and sex. The occupational skill status of heads of households is examined and compared on the basis of age, sex, and marital status. Findings indicate that the major predictor of occupational skill is marital status, in complex interrelationships with age and sex. Women heads of households, supporting themselves in …

The Social Psychology Of Imitated Jaywalking: An Extension Of Model Sex And Social Status, Edward W. Gregory Jr.

Masters Theses

A field experiment is designed and conducted to examine what effects the presence of a model who jaywalks (i.e., crosses a street against a "Don't Walk" light) has on inducing jaywalking by unknowing pedestrians who are on the street corner with the model. Two models are used, one male and one female, and their perceived social status is varied by changing their attire from one day to the next to determine what effects sex and social status of models have on initiating jaywalking in other pedestrians.

The review of related literature discusses the findings of a number of studies which …

Distributive Fairness: An Exploration Of Male-Female Differences In Allocation Behavior, Daryl G. Kelley

Masters Theses

Previous research has shown that males and females follow different strategies in allocating rewards for unequal performance on a team task: Males tend to utilize an exploitive allocation strategy, while females tend to be more accommodating in their, allocations. Research has also shown that allocation strategies may differ depending on whether the allocation of rewards is to be made public or is known only to the allocator. Public reward allocations of males tend to be more exploitive than females, while this difference is reversed for private allocations. The present study sought to replicate and extend previous studies, using a factorial …

Factors Influencing Termination Status Of Clients In The Kalamazoo County Juvenile Court Volunteer Probation Program: November 1969-June 1973, Christine Clare Iavelli

Masters Theses

This study was designed to identify the factors which were associated with the juveniles and their volunteers within the Kalamazoo County Juvenile Court Volunteer Probation Program from November 1969 through June 1973 resulting in a successful or unsuccessful termination of informal probation. Data on 317 juveniles and their volunteers were compiled and analyzed. A bivariate test was conducted to determine the relationship of ten independent variables for the juveniles and six independent variables for the volunteers to the dependent variable, the probationer's termination status. Those independent variables considered to be significantly related to the dependent variable were retained and tested …

Assimilation Of Korean College Students, Jei Hyun Yoo

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine four of Gordon's seven types of assimilation (cultural, structural, marital and identificational) among Korean college students.

Data were gathered from a combination of 23 interviews (14 males and 9 females) at Western Michigan University and 104 mail questionnaires (63 males and 41 females) from the University of Michigan.

The degree of assimilation was positively related to the length of residence in the United States, SES of parents and age. No evidence was found to suggest that one sex was more highly assimilated into American society than the other. By utilizing path analysis, …

Intimacy In Context: A Theory Of Interpersonal Relationships, Sara Mirjam Terian

Masters Theses

To define intimacy, interpersonal relationships are divided into four major categories that encompass the whole range of interpersonal behavior: strangers, acquaintances, friends, and intimates. These are seen as progressive stages, defined by the individual's subjective, affective orientation, and discernable by behavioral indicators. Strangers are divided into total, encountered, and familiar strangers, acquaintances into mere and friendly acquaintances, and friends into Just friends, casual friends, and close friends. The process culminates in intimacy which is divided into three aspects: psychological, the necessary aspect, biological, and ideological. Total intimacy is the presence of all three. This framework has explanatory and predictive value, …

Politics And Medicine In The Estrogen Replacement Controversy: A Comparative Analysis Of The United States And Great Britain, Frances B. Mccrea

Masters Theses

This thesis investigated social and medical aspects of the Estrogen Replacement Controversy (ERT) in the United States and Great Britain. American researchers claim that ERT, a treatment for menopausal and postmenopausal problems, substantially increases the risk of endometrial cancer; British researchers minimize the risk and instead emphasize benefits of the treatment. Whereas British medical practitioners are reluctant to prescribe ERT, their American counterparts widely prescribe the treatment. American feminists and consumer groups strongly oppose ERT; similar groups in Britain demand the treatment. Whereas the British government has not regulated the drug, in America, increasing restrictions have been placed on ERT. …

An Activity Perspective Of Alcohol Consumption And Problem Drinking Among Older Adults In Michigan, Gerald M. Burns

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

An Exploratory Investigation Comparing Battered And Non-Battered Women Using The Hand Test, Debra A. Dalton

Masters Theses

The physical and mental abuse of women as wives and lovers is a largely unrecognized crime of violence just beginning to receive attention in the United States. The extent of wifebeating is difficult to determine since, although it occurs in every strata of society and every age group, it is underreported for a variety of reasons. The motives for wife abuse are complex. There are several social and psychological explanations that have been suggested as the underlying rationale for wifebeating. Psychological testing with battered women is rare and what testing that has been done has been limited to interviews and …

Cross-Cultural Comparisons Of Sex-Attributes And Sex-Roles At Eastern Illinois University, Li-Hsing Chen

Masters Theses

Statement of the Problem:

The main purpose of this research is to compare the attitudes of graduate students, who came from different cultural backgrounds and were studying at Eastern Illinois University, toward sex-attributes and sex-roles. Meanwhile, sex, marital status, age, family's religious affiliation, educational major area, and length of time in the United States were included as considerable factors whict may influence their attitudes toward sex-attributes and sex-roles.

Procedures:

The materials of this survey include two parts. The first part is a letter written by the researcher and revised by her academic advisor and one nonacademic advisor, to all subjects. …

Architectural Design, Neighboring, And Victimization In Group Housing: An Examination Of Relationships, Kathleen Anne Tiemann

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Citizen Perceptions Of Various Police Behaviors: A Conceptual Framework And Practical Recommendations For Improvement, H. Preston Elrod

Masters Theses

The ability of the police to better assess their role in the community lies in understanding, or-accurately perceiving, the public's attitudes toward various police behaviors. Although numerous studies have examined general attitudes toward the police, few have examined citizen attitudes toward specific police behaviors within a broad socio-historical framework and attempted to make practical recommendations to the police based on such findings. This is the intent of this study.

The findings of this study are based on a random sample of households in Kalamazoo, Michigan, during 1978 and employs both bivariate and multivariate statistical techniques. Generally, it was found that …

Social Characteristics In Home Rule Elite Recruitment, Alireza Mohseni-Tabrizi

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Leadership In Environmental Quality Organizations, Stephen A. Cannell

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of The Relationship Between Self-Concept Of Intellectual Ability And Self-Esteem In Nigeria, Julius Andera Ate

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Of Reported Sexual Activity And Reported Sexual Daydreaming In Unmarried College Men And Women, Barbara Stansell Lavery

Masters Theses

Past research has suggested that cognitive imagery may serve to either enhance or diminish a subsequent overt behavior. In fact, imagery techniques are commonly used in therapy with the idea that these techniques affect behavior in a predictable way.

The present study was designed to determine whether measured frequencies of sexual daydreaming would correlate with measured frequencies of sexual activity. Gender groups were also compared to examine possible gender differences in the frequency of sexual daydreaming and sexual activity.

Thirty-eight male and 113 female students at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois were asked to respond to two self-report questionnaires. …

A Study Of School Achievement Among Elementary School Students With Working And Nonworking Mothers, Chi-Hung Hsieh

Masters Theses

Statement of Problem

Most parents face the question of whether the wife should seek employment outside the home during the years that their children are attending elementary school. Many families have no choice since the costs of daily living make it necessary to pursue a double income. A large portion of parents do, however, have a choice as to whether the mother should go to work. In many homes the second income goes toward obtaining some of the "extra-things" not normally available due to financial limitations.

Mothers who work outside of the home will have less time to stay home …