Other Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Sometimes We Do Reinvent The Wheel: Commentary On Macdonald (1912), Mario Scalora

University of Nebraska Public Policy Center: Publications

As a researcher of targeted violence, I found Arthur MacDonald’s work “Assassins of Rulers” (MacDonald, 1912) very provocative. Although different norms for behavioral and criminological research early the past century may have limited the current applicability of Mac- Donald’s findings, this work highlighted certain paradigmatic issues that have later emerged within the targeted violence literature. Before addressing commonalities with recent research, discussion of methodological issues is warranted. First, one is impressed with how detailed MacDonald’s presentation is across the range of cases of political assassination and regicide. One wonders how more descriptive MacDonald’s work would have been if he had …

Quality Of Life, Health Status, And Academic Success In Undergraduates, Amanda Kuhlman

Honors Projects

Background: Undergraduates are making their first autonomous health decisions. This is an opportune stage for examining the precursors to the chronic diseases of adulthood. The purpose of this study was to examine correlations between health status, quality of life, and academic success in college students.

Methods: A quality of life survey (Goodman, 1997) was utilized to determine the behavioral difficulties of 86 first and second year college students. Each of these behavioral categories were then examined for possible correlations with blood pressure, weight, body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption, body fat percentage, and any changes in these categories from the …

Natural Phenomena As Potential Influence On Social And Political Behavior: The Earth’S Magnetic Field, Jackie R. East

Theses and Dissertations--Political Science

Researchers use natural phenomena in a number of disciplines to help explain human behavioral outcomes. Research regarding the potential effects of magnetic fields on animal and human behavior indicates that fields could influence outcomes of interest to social scientists. Tests so far have been limited in scope. This work is a preliminary evaluation of whether the earth’s magnetic field influences human behavior it examines the baseline relationship exhibited between geomagnetic readings and a host of social and political outcomes. The emphasis on breadth of topical coverage in these statistical trials, rather than on depth of development for any one model, …

Attitudes Toward Assisted Reproductive Technology: The Effects Of Gender, Relationship Status, Age, And Sexual Orientation, Brigitte A. Dooley

Theses and Dissertations--Family Sciences

Reproductive technology has extended procreative options to infertile, subfertile, unpartnered, and same-sex-partnered individuals, but this technology is sometimes used in circumstances that may be deemed unreasonable or inappropriate by some people. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of five contextual variables—gender, relationship status, age, and sexual orientation of the individual or couple seeking reproductive assistance, as well as the source of gametes—on attitudes toward the procurement of reproductive services. A multiple-segment factorial vignette was administered to a sample of 257 reproductive-aged respondents. Results indicate that ART is generally viewed as an acceptable procedure by reproductive aged …

Diplomacy & Negotiation, Liefke M. Cox

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

Over the course of history when women have been involved in the diplomatic, political, social, and economic structure of a country it has been found they are one of the key ingredients to building an effective and stable democracy. Investing in women strengthens the back bone of any society. Top CEO’s, such as Tupperware’s Rick Goings and Warren Buffett, have also publically supported this assumption. I argue that women in different societies have traits that have been instilled in them culturally which in turn translate directly to their ability to handle diplomatic situations and business negotiations. Societies, however intentionally or …

Whites And The Active Representation Of Racial Minority Interests, Maykao Y. Hang

School of Business Student Theses and Dissertations

This study explored personal and organizational factors that contribute to White public administrators actively representing the interests of racial minority minorities. Data collection comprised of 15 semi-structured interviews. The average age was 54, and the length of service was 3-33 years. Subjects were asked about their personal background, what it means to be White, and work experiences in local county government.

Personal factors found were racial consciousness, major life events, and significant relationships with people of color. Organizational factors included a diverse and inclusive work environment, bureaucracy, legal and compliance issues, and supervisor support. Findings included that Whites did not …

Polysemy In Design Review Conversations, Georgi V. Georgiev, Toshiharu Taura

Design Thinking Research Symposium

This paper examines the role of polysemy, defined as the quality of having multiple meanings, in design review conversations. It examines the polysemy, particularly of nouns, involved in a dataset of design review conversations with reference to design ideas. The purpose is to determine whether polysemy is related to successful development of design ideas and more creative design outcomes. The results show that the polysemy of nouns involved in the conversations of the finally developed, successful, design ideas exceeds in the most cases the average polysemy involved in the conversations pertaining to the unsuccessful design ideas. Furthermore, the polysemy of …

Ben Judah: Fragile Empire Study Guide, 2014, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Stories Of Africa: The Politics Of Displaying African Objects In Museum Exhibitions, Kristin Otto 14

Honor Scholar Theses

In this paper, I will analyze how museum exhibitions use material culture to construct and present a narrative about Africa. Exhibiting material culture reflects the power, authority, and ideology of the exhibitor, sometimes at the expense of the displayed culture’s agency in representation. Museums have a particularly infamous history of distorting African cultures in exhibits, often validating racist ideologies. Consequently, zealous museum critics have begun to question the relevance of museums in the future public education. The public, however, continues to visit museums and experience exhibits featuring African objects. Based on the challenges and controversies museums exhibiting African objects face …

Exploring Other Perspectives Of Gender And Ethnicity, Roy A. Bean, Alexander L. Hsieh, Adam M. Clark

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this activity is to have clinicians explore a change in one key element of their identities (e.g., gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity/race) within the unchanged context of their life circumstances (e.g., family-of-origin characteristics, individual personality). This allows clinicians to focus on and process elements from their own histories within the context of a different perspective through an imagined switch in a salient socio-demographic factor. This activity is designed to help clinicians develop greater perspective-taking abilities and improve their awareness of some of the factors that have heavily influenced, and perhaps even defined, their own life experience.

Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, David C. Dollahite

Faculty Publications

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) was formally organized on April 6, 1830, in Palmyra, New York, by founding president Joseph Smith during the era of U.S. history known as the Second Great Awakening. Smith was considered a prophet, through whom God restored the church of that Latter-day Saints (i.e., the Mormons), believed to be lost to apostasy in ancient times.

The Reliability And Validity Of The Thin Slice Technique: Observational Research On Video Recorded Medical Interactions, Tanina Suzanne Foster

Wayne State University Dissertations

The Reliability and Validity of the Thin Slice Technique: Observational Research on Video Recorded Medical Interactions

Introduction: Observational research using the thin slice technique has been routinely incorporated in observational research methods, however there is limited evidence supporting use of this technique compared to full interaction coding. The purpose of this study was to determine if this technique could be reliability coded, if ratings are consistent between the first, second and third slice, and if they are indeed representative of full interactions.

Methods: Three 30-second thin slices were sampled from the beginning, middle and end of a full-length video-recorded …

Theorizing More Inclusive Cities: A Relational Model Of Boundary Transformation And Urban Research Agenda, Leigh Graham

Publications and Research

To generate more inclusive environments for marginalized urban communities of color demands a strategy that privileges symbolic boundary change and uses it as the inroad towards spatial changes. This paper theorizes a three step relational process of a) communicative democratic activism, b) "multicultural" capital brokers providing access to the policy making process, and c) practices of community building that reflect the role of cities as key sites for sociospatial boundary transformation. An emphasis on discursive and ideational change, relying on communicative democratic processes steeped in historical, comparative analysis opens up our minds towards different classification schemes for stigmatized groups. Participating …

An Event History Analysis Of Educational Loans And College Graduation: A Focus On Differences By Race And Ethnicity, Min Zhan, Xiaoling Xiang

Center for Social Development Research

This study examines the association between educational loans and college graduation rates, with a focus on differences by race and ethnicity. Data come from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97). Results from event history analyses that control for a number of student characteristics, college experiences, and financial resources indicate that educational loans are positively related to the rate of college graduation. Larger loan amounts tend to decrease the likelihood of college graduation. The relationship between educational loans and college graduation is stronger among minority (Black and Hispanic) students. Overall, there is little evidence that educational loans reduce racial …

The Fate Of Local Food Systems In The Global Industrialization Market: Food And Social Justice In The Rural South, Wylin D. Wilson, Reuben C. Warren, Stephen O. Sodeke, Norbert Wilson

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

This paper investigates the connection between local food systems, health disparities, and social justice in the rural South. It begins with the relationship between food insecurity and health disparities that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minority populations, and non-minority women and children. First, we discuss the concept of health disparities within the context of bioethics and public health ethics in order to explore the link between the food system and health as a social justice issue. Second, we define health disparities and discuss how they have historically plagued and disadvantaged racial minority populations. Third, we examine these disparities within the …

An Exploration Of Threatened Harm As A Type Of Maltreatment And Its Relation To Recurrence Of Maltreatment, Roxann Mcneish

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There were no studies found in the literature that primarily focused on threatened harm as type of maltreatment. This study utilized Florida's child welfare administrative data to explore threatened harm as a type of maltreatment, particularly as a predictor of recurrence of maltreatment within six and 12 months for children who had a verified report of maltreatment in FY2005-2006. Threatened harm was examined in three ways; when it was reported as the only maltreatment, the initial maltreatment, and in situations where there was a prior report. The most prevalent acts of threatened harm were examined separately. It was examined as …

Social Withdrawal During Adolescence And Emerging Adulthood, Julie C. Bowker, Larry J. Nelson, Andrea Markovic, Stephanie Luster

Faculty Publications

Peer relationships are of central importance for healthy psychosocial development and functioning during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Peers provide unique opportunities for social-cognitive growth and the development and maintenance of social skills. They also serve as important sources of emotional and social support, can foster positive feelings about the self and others, and function protectively against the effects of interpersonal stressors (Rubin, Bukowski, & Parker, 2006). Without peer relationships, individuals might miss out on developmentally formative opportunities and experiences, such as acquiring certain socially competent skills and behaviors and forming intimate best friendships (Rubin, Coplan, & Bowker, 2009). It is …

John R. Visser: The Crossroads Of Poverty And Prosperity Study Guide, 2013, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Robert D. Kaplan: The Revenge Of Geography Study Guide, 2013, Steven Alan Samson

Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Criminality And Corpulence: Weight Bias In The Courtroom, Valena Elizabeth Beety

Seattle Journal for Social Justice

No abstract provided.