Community Psychology Commons^™

Training Evaluation In Virtual Worlds: Development Of A Model, Richard N. Landers, Rachel C. Callan

Psychology Faculty Publications

Many organizations have adopted virtual worlds (VWs) as a setting for training programs; however, research on appropriate evaluation of training in this new setting is incomplete. In this article, we address this gap by first exploring the unique issues relevant to evaluation faced by training designers working in VWs. At the macro-organizational level, the primary issue faced is an organizational culture unreceptive to or otherwise skeptical of VWs. At the micro-organizational level, two major issues are identified: individual trainees unreceptive to VWs and general lack of experience navigating VWs. All three of these challenges and their interrelationships may lead to …

Formative Research And Community Resilience: A Case Of Under Addressed Youth Problem Gambling, Michea Caye

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The overarching research topic for this study is the issue of effectively engaging and informing community and government decision makers about health issues that can negatively impact a community's resilience. The question guiding this study is how can formative research engage and inform community and government decision makers about the under addressed issue of youth problem gambling (YPG) in Windham County, Vermont? The study has two aims: 1) to develop a formative research conceptual framework and evaluate its effectiveness in addressing the public health issue of youth problem gambling, and 2) to use the formative research methodology to develop a …

"...Bless Her Little Heart!": The Culture Of Honor And Emotion Recognition, Forrest J. Rackham

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's abstract: Some researchers assert that cultural display rules may explain differences in perceiving emotions (Matsumoto, Yoo, & Chung, 2010). The current study examined the display rule of masking within the Southern culture of honor. It was hypothesized that masking within the culture of honor negatively affects emotion perception sensitivity, particularly in the speed and accuracy of recognizing anger. Southern undergraduate students were primed with the culture of honor and then presented with the Emotional Expression Multimorph Task. Participants chose one of the six emotions (i.e., sad, happy, surprise, fear, disgust, or anger). It was hypothesized participants in the masking …

Ecological Revival And Sustainable Living In The Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest Of Tamil Nadu: A Measurement Of Residential Perception In Sadhana Forest, Elizabeth Collette Mcguire

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Since 1970, the role and function of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been to promote environmental quality and to form strategies for carrying out environmental policy¹. The EPA has committed to sustainability as the next level of environmental protection. The agency states that sustainability calls for policies and strategies that meet society’s present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs². Presently, society’s requirements have resulted in natural resource exploitation and population distention- projected to reach 10 billion people within two human generations³. These paired occurrences are …

Getting Started In Evaluation Consulting: Questions To Ask And Answer Along The Way, Judah J. Viola,

Faculty Publications

This PowerPoint presentation includes a four phase approach to considering the main questions you'll need to ask and answer before taking the leap needed to begin working as an independent evaluation consultant.

Portraits Of Empowerment Exhibited By One Million Signatures Campaign Activists, Manijeh Badiee

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

Iranian women have shown themselves to be anything but victims (Afkhami, 2009; Price, 1996; Shiranipour, 2002). Although they live in an oppressive regime (Nafisi, 1999; ―Symbolic annihilation,‖ 1999), grassroots efforts of their One Million Signatures Campaign transformed gender politics in Iran (Khorasani, 2009). The Campaign has become international, and Iranian Americans have played a prominent role in furthering its message (Tohidi, 2010).

Iranian women‘s struggles reflect the global phenomenon of women‘s movements (Ferree, 2006). Empowerment is used to conceptualize such movements, but few studies have explored individuals from the Middle East (e.g. Dufour & Giraud, 2007).

The present study addressed …

Factors Associated With Participation And Retention In A Group Treatment For Child Sexual Abuse, Mollie Dittmer, Grace Hubel, David J. Hansen

McNair Scholars Research Journal

The current study examines factors associated with participation and retention in a child sexual abuse (CSA) outpatient program. Participation and retention are vital if children are to receive the intended benefits of treatment designed to promote healthy coping following CSA. However, little is known about factors that impede or encourage families to consistently attend sessions. Several factors possibly related to child participation and retention were examined, including demographic variables such as income level and education, characteristics of the abuse, and parent and family pretreatment functioning. Participants in the sample included 175 children and adolescents and their non-offending primary caregivers seeking …

The Referral Process: Rural Primary Care Physicians' Perspectives On Providing Counseling Referrals, Casey N. Tallent

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

The advantages to collaborative care between physicians and mental health care providers have been known for many decades. Rural primary care physicians (RPCPs) are the first professionals that most patients contact when they have a mental health concern, particularly in rural communities. It is therefore important to understand the process that occurs when a referral for counseling is made from a RPCP and the subsequent collaboration that occurs. The purpose of this qualitative study was to generate a model that provides a better understanding of the counseling referral process from the perspective of RPCPs in private practice in the Midwest. …

The Community Narration (Cn) Approach: Understanding A Group’S Identity And Cognitive Constructs Through Personal And Community Narratives, Brad Olson, Leonard A. Jason

Faculty Publications

Community program evaluations, visioning and assessments must always endeavor to attain useful information in the most sensitive way. Most community-based organizations form, grow and continue on their own without the help of outside experts. Participatory approaches should respect the historical evolution of these groups and understand the positive factors that underlie their organizational beliefs. A group’s mission, values and identity should inform any community program evaluation, consulting project, and the design of any research study. Narrative methods have been used with mutual-help groups and many other organizations to good effect (Harré, Bullen, & Olson, 2006; Rappaport, 2000). Such methods have …

Teaching Children About Multiculturalism, Nicole Zuniga

Psychology and Child Development

Literature review on teaching children about multiculturalism connected to the entertainment coordinator position of the organizer group for Children's Day in the Plaza 2011.

Evil: Genocide In The 21st Century, James L. Pigmon

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

This paper will explore commonalities and processes that led to genocide in the twentieth century. Information from four notable genocides will be used to determine the feasibility of genocide continuing unabated into the twenty first century. Armenian, Holocaust, Cambodian and Rwandan genocides have similar qualities establishing a “recipe” for others to use as a template or as a predictor of the next genocide. This thesis will use psychological theory, case studies and historical data to formulate reasons why individuals can be easily persuaded to take on the role as perpetrator. Has the international community done enough to either prevent or …

Perceptions Of Gender Roles In The Advertising Industry, Cristina Perez Balitaan

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The advertising industry since its inception has been saturated with male views and opinions, consequently manifesting in the sexual objectification of women. However, with more career opportunities for women in recent years, more women are choosing to engage in non-traditional careers, such as the fields of advertising and marketing. Yet, despite the growing female population within the advertising industry, the content of advertising still continues to be filled with gender stereotypes. To understand how female advertisers negotiate their gender role and their role as a media producer, I surveyed female advertising students of S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications (N=100) …

The Effects Of Facial Expression On Out-Group Discrimination, Charles Brendan Clark

Dissertations

The current paper sought to test the hypothesis that the facial expression of smiling would mitigate the effects of out-group discrimination. Study 1 examined the influence of facial expression (smiling or frowning), gender (man or woman), and race (Black or White) on resource allocation decisions. Participants were shown arrays of facial photographs. The arrays all contained eight photographs and were counterbalanced to contain all combinations of the variables of interest (i.e., each group had a smiling man of each race, a smiling woman of each race, a frowning man of each race, and a frowning woman of each race). The …

Designing A School Garden Space That Emphasizes Children's Wants And Uses Permaculture Design Methods, Mikhaela Mullins

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

A case study was organized at Saratoga Elementary school in Lincoln, Nebraska to obtain data on what children desire in a garden space. To collect this data a school garden space was constructed and an after school garden club was implemented. Students who participated in the after school garden club partook in the study by drawing their ideal garden. Elements that the subjects drew were identified and categorized into ‘highly desired’ and ‘somewhat desired’.

These elements were then incorporated into a proposed garden design plan for Saratoga. The proposal plan uses Permaculture design methods to emphasize sustainability.

An Art Therapy Domestic Violence Prevention Group In Mexico, Naomi Tucker, Ana Laura Treviño

Journal of Clinical Art Therapy

This paper explores the implementation, course of treatment, achievements and limitations of an art therapy domestic violence prevention group in Mexico. The group was part of a Mexican pilot program utilizing a solution-focused model developed by Stith, McCollum, and Rosen (2007) in the U.S. The art therapy group served Otomí clients, who are members of a unique indigenous sub-culture within Mexican society.  A brief literature review discusses domestic violence, solution-focused treatment, couples groups, and the particular complexities of working inter-culturally.  The course of treatment is presented and the achievements and limitations of the program are briefly evaluated within the context …

Examining Physiological, Physical, And Cognitive Changes Over A Thirteen Week Training Program, Vanessa L. Roof

Department of Psychology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Ten members of Lincoln Fire and Rescue in Lincoln,  Nebraska agreed to participate in a thirteen week tactical strength and conditioning fitness program conducted by Athology Inc. that included a Physiological, Physical, and Cognitive Component.  Participants completed three workouts per week lasting approximately 90 minutes each, conducted by fitness trainers from Athology Inc.  Participants completed lab draws at the beginning and end of the program as well as an EKG at the onset of the program, conducted off-site at a local hospital.  Participants completed performance and agility testing at the onset and end of the program.  Lastly, participants completed cognitive …

Ciis Today, Spring 2011 Issue, Ciis

CIIS Today

This volume is the Spring 2011 issue of CIIS Today, the Magazine of the California Institute of Integral Studies.

New Media Analysis: The Effects Of Peer Influence And Personality Characteristics Through The Stages Of Trial, Adoption, And Continued Use Of Video Sharing Websites, Joseph L. Hicks

Theses and Dissertations

New Media technologies have evolved at a rapid pace and have changed the way people communicate in the digital world. These changes are apparent in practically every type of application, including business, leisure, and the way people socially interact. The primary goal of this research was to contribute to the current breadth of knowledge and understanding regarding how, why, and under what conditions people interact with New Media technologies. In order to achieve this objective, this research provides an understanding of how peer influence and individual personality characteristics interact across time through the stages of New Media trial, adoption, and …

Personality And Social Influence Characteristic Affects On Ease Of Use And Peer Influence Of New Media Users Over Time, David M. Ho

Theses and Dissertations

New Media technologies such as social networking sites (SNSs) have taken the world by storm. Millions of people across the world are forming large social networks through these internet-based SNSs by sharing similar interests, friends, and personal information. New Media technologies now allow people to communicate messages to a greater audience through these networks not previously seen before in other technologies. This research seeks to understand these New Media users by examining the personality and social influence characteristics through the three phases of New Media acceptance: trial, adoption, and continual use. The study administered one-hour interviews to 64 university students …

A Temporal Model Of Community Organizing And Direct Action, Brad Olson, Judah J. Viola,, Suzette J. Fromm Reed

Faculty Publications

Psychology has much to contribute to engagement in community organizing and direct action. Such organizing and action is psychological: it is motivational, cognitive, attitudinal, and emotional. Psychological knowledge is a cost-free resource. It can be used to counter unjust power structures and their tendency to maintain policies and systems of social harm and inequality. A theoretical model of organizing and direct action that integrates knowledge from community psychology and related disciplines with historic and modern action campaigns is needed. Theory helps us learn from the past to guide us toward more effective future outcomes.