Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Social sciences -> psychology -> biological'
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Karlsson, Louise. "Stress : From a biological, social, and psychological perspective." Thesis, Högskolan i Skövde, Institutionen för biovetenskap, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-16104.
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Over the years stress has been a term lacking one clear and specific definition. In general, the term stress has been used mostly as an explanation of a response or reaction to a stressor. A stressor can be of both physiological and behavioral character. The experience of stress can occur both due to a real or a perceived stressor. In this literature review, the concept of stress is viewed with insights from biological, psychological, and social perspectives. The stress response is described biologically with the central nervous system (CNS), the brain, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Social and psychological stress are concepts related to how stress is perceived by the mind and due to social surroundings which is described in relation to social support, self-efficacy, the locus of control and cognitive appraisal. Dealing with stress can be done through coping which refers to the individual capacity to handle a stressor and has generally been divided into two categories, active/passive coping and problem-focused/emotion-focused coping. Depending on the individual resources to cope with a stressor and the ability to decrease the stress response when needed, the long-term effects of stress can therefore vary between individuals. It has been found that positive coping (known as reducing stress) can increase the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) volume and decrease anxiety and depression. The prefrontal cortex (PFC), the hippocampus, and the amygdala are closely linked to the ACC and affect emotions, learning, and memory related to the stress response.
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Bartoszuk, Karin, Cecelia McIntosh, and Brian Maxson. "Integration and Synergy of Research and Graduate Education in Science, Humanities, and Social Science." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2014. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/6174.
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Wolf, Elise. "Diel Periodicity in Activity and Location in the Web of the Common House Spider (Achaearanea tepidariorum)." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2011. https://dc.etsu.edu/honors/13.
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Circadian rhythm is a type of endogenous clock that controls daily behavioral patterns in most organisms. Spiders have been shown to exhibit both circadian and non-circadian rhythms in their behaviors. This rhythmicity may allow spiders to cope with diel changes in environmental conditions. Both diurnal and nocturnal behavior have different sets of costs and benefits to a species’ survival. Achaearanea tepidariorum is one species in which potential circadian rhythmicity has never been studied. Due to its foraging behavior, it was predicted that its daily activity would be arrhythmic. We recorded the positions within the web of forty individuals throughout the day, and then observed their daily activity via use of an actogram apparatus. Analysis of the resulting actograms and web position data revealed a significant nocturnal periodicity in the spiders’ activity, as well as possible anticipation of the daily cycle. This nocturnal periodicity, coupled with specific web-building behavior, may be the result of this species balancing the costs and benefits of predation and foraging. More studies are needed to provide more information about the circadian behavioral patterns of A. tepidariorum.
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Seed, Anne Elizabeth. "The effect of communication competence, biological sex, and situation on compliance-gaining strategy choice." Scholarly Commons, 1994. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2263.
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This study investigated the effect of communication competence, biological sex, and situation on compliance-gaining strategy choice. Two hypotheses and five research questions were addressed in this study. Specifically, hypothesis one predicted a positive correlation between communication competence and the likelihood of use ratings of pro-social compliance-gaining strategies. Hypothesis two predicted a negative correlation between communication competence and the likelihood of use ratings of anti-social compliance-gaining strategies. Four research questions examined differences in the likelihood of use ratings of pro- and anti-social compliance-gaining strategies according to situation (interpersonal and non-interpersonal) for male and females subjects. The last research question looked at differences in levels of communication competence for male and female subjects. Total sample size was 160, including 120 students from an introductory interpersonal communication course and 40 students from the adult, re-entry college. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to analyze the two hypotheses as it allowed for the comparison of the strength and direction of the relationship between variables. All research questions involved the comparison of mean scores and utilized a one way analysis of variance. Results showed no correlations between communication competence and the likelihood of use ratings of pro- and anti-social compliance-gaining strategies as was predicted in the two hypotheses. The data for research questions one and two showed no significant differences in the likelihood of use ratings of pro-social compliance-gaining strategies for male and female subjects regardless of situation. However, significant differences were found in the likelihood of use ratings of anti-social compliance-gaining strategies for male and female subjects. Specifically, males exhibited a greater likelihood of use ratings of anti-social compliance-gaining strategies regardless of situation. Finally, female subjects demonstrated higher levels of communication competence than males. Some of the differences which were found between male and female subjects may be a result of a pervasive socialization process, which in essence perpetuates stereotypical roles for both men and women. Because of this socialization process, men may, indeed, be less likely to distinguish the nuances between interpersonal and non-interpersonal situations. It is suggested that future research focus on similarities between males and females as opposed to differences.
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Pasley, James. "Spatial Vision: Age and Practice." TopSCHOLAR®, 1988. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1816.
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Previous studies have shown that practice can improve adults’ ability to discriminate between two similar high frequency spatial patterns. Adults trained on this task also demonstrated significant improvement on a standard acuity test which is dependent on high frequency information. The aim of this study was to extend the range of training patterns to low (1.7 c/deg) and middle (4.0 c/deg.) spatial frequencies, and to determine if practice in a similar spatial frequency discrimination task would transfer to other spatial tasks dependent on low frequency information. Fourteen subjects in three age groups (young, middle and old) were tested before and after training on four spatial tasks: grating discrimination, grating detection, bisection thresholds and Vernier acuity. Adults trained on 1.7 c/deg showed significant improvement on the discriminability task, while those trained on 4.0 c/deg did not. It was found that improvement on the low spatial frequency discrimination task did not transfer to any of the other tasks. However, it was shown that the degree of improvement was similar for all age groups. This suggests that plasticity in the human visual system remains relatively constant throughout adulthood.
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Powell, Priscilla. "ETHNIC EFFECTS ON BIOLOGICAL, PSYCHOSOCIAL AND DISEASE CARE FACTORS IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN YOUTH WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES." VCU Scholars Compass, 2009. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/24.
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Person-oriented and variable-oriented analyses were conducted to investigate sociodemographic differences in biological, psychosocial and disease care factors in youth with type 1 diabetes. Additionally, diabetes knowledge was evaluated as a potential mediator of SES effects on HbA1c and disease care. The sample included 349 youth, age 9-17 years (79.9% Caucasian, 71.3% lived with two biological parents, M SES = 46.24). Person-oriented t-tests confirmed commonly reported ethnic differences in HbA1c and disease care behaviors. However, variable-oriented analyses controlling for confounding sociodemographic influences showed most disease care effects attributed to ethnicity were better explained by SES. While diabetes knowledge was not a significant mediator of meal composition, it appeared to suppress the effect of social class on carbohydrate and fat consumption, such that more diabetes knowledge minimized the negative effect of lower SES on optimal carbohydrate and fat consumption. Results may inform future interventions for youth at risk of poor metabolic control.
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Hoy, Jennifer Lyn 1981. "The Development of Excitatory Synapses and Complex Behavior." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/12068.
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xi, 111 p. : ill. (some col.)Excitatory glutamatergic synapses facilitate important aspects of communication between the neurons that govern complex forms of behavior. Accordingly, small differences in the molecular composition of glutamatergic synapses have been suggested to underlie neurodevelopment disorders, drive evolutionary changes in brain function and behavior, and enhance specific aspects of cognition in mammals. The appropriate development and later function of these structures in the adult involves the wellcoordinated activities of hundreds of molecules. Therefore, an important goal in neuroscience is to identify and characterize how specific molecules contribute to the development of excitatory synapses as well as how manipulations of their function impact neural systems and behavior throughout life. This dissertation describes two important contributions toward this effort, (1) that the newly discovered molecule, Synaptic Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 (SynCAM1) specifically contributes to the early stages of glutamatergic synapse formation and (2) that Neuroligin1 (NL1) contributes to the mature function of glutamatergic synapses and mature forms of behavior in vivo. In the first set of experiments, I developed an in vitro cell based assay in order to determine the minimal molecular components necessary to recruit developmentally relevant glutamate receptor subtypes to sites of adhesion mediated by SynCAM1. In these experiments we discovered that protein 4.1B interacted with SynCAM1 in order to cause the specific recruitment of the NMDA type glutamate receptor containing the NR2B subunit. In the second set of experiments, we show that expression of NL1 missing the terminal 55 amino acids enhanced short term learning and flexibility in behaving mice while increasing the number of immature excitatory postsynaptic structures. Interestingly, this behavioral profile had components more consistent with 1 month old juvenile controls than age matched control littermates. In contrast, full length NL1 overexpression impaired learning and enhanced perseverance while yielding an increase in the proportion of synapses with mature characteristics. These results suggest that NL1's C-terminus drives the synaptic maturation process that shapes the development of complex behavior. Both studies bolster our understanding of how specific molecules impact the development of excitatory synapses and complex behavior. This dissertation includes both my previously published and unpublished co-authored material.
Committee in charge: William Roberts, Chairperson; Philip Washbourne, Advisor; Victoria Herman, Member; Michael Wehr, Member; Judith Eisen, Member; Clifford Kentros, Outside Member
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Krukauskas, Frank Krukauskas. "Using Auditory Feedback to Improve Striking for Mixed Martial Artists." Scholar Commons, 2016. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/6529.
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The purpose of this study was to evaluate, auditory feedback as a training procedure to increase the effectiveness of throwing a "right cross.” Auditory feedback was evaluated in multiple baselines across behaviors design with 4 mixed martial arts students, two males and two females, 25-54 years old. The percentage of correct steps of the right crosses.” was stable .during baseline for all participants improved substantially following the introduction of the auditory feedback, and maintained at 90 percent or more for all participants during follow-up.
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Mohd-Yusof, Martha A. "IMPORTANCE OF THE D2 RECEPTOR FOR ONE- AND MULTI-TRIAL PSYCHOSTIMULANT-INDUCED BEHAVIORAL SENSITIZATION IN PREWEANLING RATS." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/349.
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The neural mechanisms mediating one-trial and multi-trial behavioral sensitization during early ontogeny are poorly understood. The purpose of this thesis was to assess the importance of D2-like receptors for the induction of cocaine- and methamphetamine-induced one-trial and multi-trial behavioral sensitization during the middle and late preweanling period. In a series of four experiments, rats were injected with saline or the selective dopamine D2-like receptor antagonist raclopride 15 min prior to treatment with the indirect dopamine agonists cocaine or methamphetamine. Acute control groups received two injections of saline. The pretreatment regimens occurred on either PND 16 or PND 20 (one-trial behavioral sensitization) or PND 13-16 or PND 17-20 (multi-trial behavioral sensitization). On PND 17 or PND 21, rats were challenged with either cocaine or methamphetamine and sensitized responding was assessed. With only a single exception, both one -trial and multi-trial cocaine- and methamphetamine-induced sensitization was evident on PND 17 and PND 21. Importantly, the D2-like receptor antagonist raclopride did not prevent the induction of cocaine- or methamphetamine-induced one-trial behavioral sensitization. In regards to multi-trial behavioral sensitization, raclopride failed to inhibit cocaine -induced sensitized responding on PND 17 and PND 21. Interestingly, higher doses of raclopride (0.5 and 1 mg/kg) were able to prevent the induction of multi-trial methamphetamine-induced sensitization on PND 17. Therefore, D2-like receptor antagonism differentially affected methamphetamine -induced behavioral sensitization depending on whether a one-trial or multi-trial paradigm was employed. When considered together, these results suggest that the neural mechanisms underlying the methamphetamine -induced behavioral sensitization of preweanling rats differs depending on the type of experimental paradigm (one- vs multi-trial) being used. Other potential explanations (i.e., nonspecific antagonist effects, impact of contextual conditioning, etc.) for this interesting effect are presented in the Discussion.
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Rice, Beth A. "CHARACTERIZING THE ROLE OF GLUCOCORTICOIDS IN THE SIGN TRACKING BEHAVIOR OF MALE JAPANESE QUAIL (COTURNIX JAPONICA)." UKnowledge, 2018. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/psychology_etds/135.
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A devastating feature of drug-dependence is the susceptibility of relapse (40-60%) after stretches of abstinence. One theory that may account for relapse suggests that drug cues (e.g., paraphernalia) may increase stress hormones, and this may prompt relapse. Repeatedly pairing a neutral cue with a reward is commonly utilized to measure what subjects learn about a cue that is predictive of reward. Research has shown that animals that attend to a cue more than to the reward (sign trackers) may be more vulnerable to drug addiction. Additionally, research has shown that sign tracking is associated with an increase in corticosterone (CORT), a primary stress hormone. PT 150 is a novel glucocorticoid receptor antagonist that attenuates the effects of CORT. Experiment 1 hypothesized that subjects given repeated oral administration of 40 mg/kg PT 150 would reduce sign tracking compared to subjects given placebo. Results of Experiment 1 showed that repeated oral consumption of 40 mg/kg PT 150 decreased sign tracking behavior compared to placebo. In Experiment 2, it was hypothesized that PT 150 (20/40/60 mg/kg) given by subcutaneous (SC) injection would reduce sign tracking dose-dependently, and that sign tracking behavior would correlate with CORT levels. Results of Experiment 2 showed that SC injection of 20 mg/kg PT 150 reduced sign tracking but not 40 or 60 mg/kg. Additionally, the correlation between CORT and the sign tracking for the 20 mg/kg approached significance. Although tentative, the correlation may suggest that elevated plasma CORT concentrations correlate with elevated sign tracking. The current findings extend the current literature by suggesting that the glucocorticoid receptor may be a potential pharmacological target for reducing relapse-like behaviors.
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Syrotchen, Branden D. "Stress, Social Support, and Mindfulness in Parents of Children with Neurodevelopmental Deficits: A Quantitative Analysis." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/6686.
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Parenting children with neurodevelopmental deficits (NDDs) is very stressful, more so than the parenting of typically developing children. There is considerable research on the topic of chronic stress experienced by caregivers; however, less is understood of parental stress experienced when raising children with NDDs. The purpose of this study was to examine how parental traits and habits, in the forms of mindfulness and social support levels, affect this cohort's general stress levels. The study was guided by Self-Determination Theory, which explored how parental acts could be classified along a continuum of being intrinsically or extrinsically derived. A convenience sample of parents (n =71) with a child diagnosed with at least one NDD were recruited from online support groups on Facebook. The participants fully completed the Parental Stress Scale to measure parental stress, the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale to measure trait mindfulness, and the Family Support Scale to quantify social support to the family. Correlation analysis and multilinear regression analysis were used to determine that higher levels of social support and mindfulness in the participants predicted lower levels of perceived parental stress; the model was statistically significant, R²=.284, F(2,68)=13.504.p<.001. As a set, the two predictors accounted for 28.4% of the variation in stress. This study helps to promote positive social change by providing informing data on population-specific research, which can assist in the development of empirically supported treatments that could be used by professionals and paraprofessionals in treatment planning, therapies, and psychoeducational interventions.
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Huang, Nuoyu. "Persistent Oral Dyskinesias Induced by Long-term Haloperidol Treatment is Dissociated from Changes in Neostriatal B(max) and Mrna Content for Dopamine D(2) Receptors." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 1995. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2736.
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Due to the presumed associations of dopamine (DA) receptor supersensitivity phenomena in both long-term neuroleptic-treated tardive dyskinetic rats and neonatal 6-hydroxydopamine (n6-OHDA)-lesioned rats, we studied the influence of haloperidol on n6-OHDA-lesioned rats. At 3 days after birth rats received 6-OHDA-HBr (200 $\mu$g, bilateral intracerebroventricularly; desipramine pretreatment, 20 mg/kg, 1h) or vehicle. Two months later haloperidol (1.5/kg/day $\times$ 2 days/week for 4 weeks, then 1.5 mg/kg/day, every day for 10 months) was added to the drinking water. Spontaneous oral activity of intact and n6-OHDA-lesioned rats receiving haloperidol was reached and maintained at significantly higher levels after 15 weeks of haloperidol treatment. Haloperidol treatment produced greater oral activity in n6-OHDA-lesioned rats as compared to intact rats. At 11 months there were 35.8 $\pm$ 4.9 vs. 18.4 $\pm$ 2.1 oral movements in lesioned vs. intact rats receiving haloperidol. This high level of spontaneous oral activity was not attenuated by scopolamine and persisted in the lesioned rats for at least 8 months after haloperidol withdrawal. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of alternatively-spliced isoforms of DA D$\sb2$ (D$\sb{\rm 2S}$ and D$\sb{\rm 2L}$) receptors showed that D$\sb{\rm 2L}$ receptor mRNA levels of intact and n6-OHDA-lesioned rats receiving haloperidol were significantly elevated after 11 months of treatment and returned to normal level 8 months after haloperidol withdrawal. Similarly, the B$\sb{\rm max}$ for $\rm\lbrack\sp3 H\rbrack$raclopride binding to striatal homogenates was significantly increased in intact and nG-OHDA lesioned rats receiving chronic haloperidol. The B$\sb{\rm max}$ was at the control level after 8 months of haloperidol cessation. D$\sb{\rm 2L}$ and 5-HT$\sb{\rm 2C}$ receptor mRNA levels were not altered by chronic haloperidol treatment. The effects of assorted receptor-specific drugs on oral activity were tested in our rats to study possible mechanisms underlying the regulation of oral activity. The findings of this study demonstrate that alterations at mRNA and receptor levels of DA D$\sb2$ receptors are not critical for maintaining persisting enhanced oral dyskinesias after long-term haloperidol treatment. The long-lasting stable high frequency of oral dyskinesias after haloperidol withdrawal in these rats provides a means for testing agents that have the potential to attenuate dyskinetic oral activity.
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Bene, Cheryl Renee. "Visually displayed-EMG biofeedback : training muscle relaxation in hearing impaired children :a thesis." Scholarly Commons, 1988. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/505.
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The purpose of the present study was to test the use of visually displayed EMG biofeedback as a means for training hearing impaired adolescents to reduce anterior temporalis or frontalis muscle tension . Five male and four female hearing impaired students between the ages of 13 and 15 were chosen from the California School for the Deaf, Fremont, CA to serve as participants. Each participant was randomly assigned to either an experimental or control condition. Participants in the experimental groups were given five 15 minute EMG biofeedback training sessions. An additional group of 4 adolescents with normal hearing from Marshall Junior High School, Stockton, CA served as a hearing control group. The dependent measure was a 5 minute pretest and post-test measurement of muscle tension (in microvolts).
Split-plot analyses were performed to determine if there were significant differences between a ) the .hearing impaired experimental and the hearing impaired control groups, b) the hearing impaired control and the hearing control groups, and c) the hearing impaired experimental group and the hearing control group.
Results of the analyses showed that at post-test both the hearing impaired experimental group and the hearing control group showed a significant decrease in muscle tension F(1,7)=5.85 p< .05. The interaction was nonsignificant. Comparison of the two control groups showed that at post-test the two groups were not significantly different in levels of muscle tension. The comparison between the hearing impaired experimental and the hearing control groups resulted in a significant interaction (Group X Time of Testing) F( 1,6)=9.47, p=.02, and the main effect for time of testing approached significance.
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Waller, Michel Tyler 1973. "The ranging behavior of bonobos in the Lomako Forest." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/11648.
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xvii, 149 p. : ill. (some col.), mapsThe ranging behavior of an animal can reveal much about the social and ecological conditions it faces. Food availability, feeding competition, population pressures, metabolic requirements and human influences can all influence the ranging behavior of individuals. For modern humans, the manner in which we move about our world is limited only by access to technology and other cultural factors. Of course, it has not always been that way. Based on recent fossil discoveries, our earliest bipedal ancestors more closely resembled the living great apes in morphology. Consequently, studies of great ape behavior have been used to reconstruct scenarios of early hominin behavior. And while much has been written about chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes ) ranging in this regard, less is known about bonobos (Pan paniscus ). Along with chimpanzees, bonobos are our closest phylogenetic relative, existing today as a descendant of a common ancestor the Homo and Pan genera shared sometime around six million years ago. Despite their close taxonomic relationship, however, there are a variety of behavioral differences between bonobos and chimpanzees. The aim of this dissertation is to better understand these differences within the context of ranging and social behavior and apply the results to models of early hominin behavior. More specifically, I used a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) approach to examine general bonobo ranging data, the differences in ranging behavior between males and females, and the manner in which neighboring groups interact. Compared with chimpanzees, bonobos at Lomako range over a much smaller total area, are not territorial, and differ in the composition of social parties. In general, female bonobos are more gregarious and cohesive, moving in semi-stable groups I call "cliques", while males are less aggressive and more likely to move independently. These results likely reflect the high levels of food availability for bonobos at Lomako, reducing the level of feeding competition, and emphasizing social and mating strategies in group formation. Consequently, the spectrum of potential early hominin ranging behavior must be expanded from the current chimp-centric perspective.
Committee in charge: Frances White, Chairperson; Stephen Frost, Member; Larry Sugiyama, Member; James Schombert, Outside Member
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Lahlou, Saadi. "Penser Manger.Les représentations sociales de l'alimentation." Phd thesis, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), 1995. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00167257.
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Une nouvelle méthode d'analyse des représentations sociales est ici appliquée au cas des représentations de l'alimentation. On expose, de la théorie des représentations sociales développée par l'école de Moscovici, une nouvelle formalisation à base d'analyse combinatoire. Le formalisme permet notamment de décrire de façon simple la propagation des représentations dans une population, et leurs fonctions pragmatiques. On fonde sur ce formalisme "en relativité complète" une théorie pour extraire, à partir de corpus d'énoncés libres en langue naturelle, les éléments de base qui constituent les représentations. On développe concrètement cette théorie sous la forme de méthodes et de techniques de recueil et d'analyse informatisée des données textuelles
Ces techniques sont exposées puis appliquées d'abord à 2 corpus à propos de “ manger ” provenant respectivement des associations libres produites par 2000 adultes français, et de 500 définitions issues d'un grand dictionnaire. Ces analyses dégagent des résultats similaires : “ manger ” est constitué de six noyaux de sens : libido, prendre, nourriture, repas, remplir, vivre.
Une analyse des évocations libres de “ bien_manger ” par 2000 autres adultes français permet ensuite de clarifier les relations théoriques entre représentations et comportements. Puis, à partir notamment d'une enquête lourde sur 1600 ménages (quelques centaines de questions), on décrit les grands types de comportements et de représentations des Français en matière d'alimentation, et on précise les limites de l'influence réelle représentations sur les comportements.
On dégage enfin quelques hypothèses nouvelles sur les lois de développement des représentations individuelles, notamment celle du “ trophisme ” (développement par l'usage des aspects les plus utilisés), et sur l'écologie des représentations sociales en tant que populations de représentations individuelles.
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Theron, Paul. "Lieutenant A and the rottweilers : a pheno-cognitive analysis of a fire-fighter's experience of a critical incident and peritraumatic resilience." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2014. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/5146/.
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Fire-fighters are subject to attacks in the field. This idiographic Pheno-Cognitive Analysis (PCA) studies a fireman’s cognitive experience of a Critical Incident (CI) when he is attacked by dangerous dogs during an intervention. The PCA method, created for this research, extends the Elicitation Interview (EI), yields a first-person narrative of the subject’s experience out of his episodic memory, and semantically elicits 460 Cognitive Operations and four patterns of Cognitive Trajectories. Their variations in shape (Intra-Variability) and occurrence (Inter-Variability) are analysed. A model of Decision-Making-in-Action (DMA), and five Metacognitive Skills providing Peritraumatic Resilience (PTR) are revealed. Epistemological limits are discussed.
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Willroth, Emily Catherine. "Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Social Influence on Emotion." W&M ScholarWorks, 2015. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539626813.
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Burrows, Andrea C. "A social study of women in contemporary biological sciences." Diss., This resource online, 1991. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-07282008-135540/.
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Lucas, Robyn Marjorie. "Socioeconomic status and health : exploring biological pathways /." View thesis entry in Australian Digital Theses, 2003. http://thesis.anu.edu.au/public/adt-ANU20060426.095241/index.html.
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Vargo, Elisabeth Julie. "Understanding contemporary drug use through mixed methodologies." Thesis, Kingston University, 2015. http://eprints.kingston.ac.uk/35110/.
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In post-industrial societies, drug using conducts have increased exponentially in the last decades and virtually all psychoactive substances are now easily accessible via the Internet. Although drug use has been assimilated in mainstream lifestyles, and involves significant portions of the population, the legal status of drugs maintains the phenomenon submersed. In this work, which comprises of four major studies and two additional experiments, the issue is addressed by using both quantitative and qualitative methods to address methodological issues and provide insight regarding the novel developments of the phenomenon. Two experiments within an ecological setting using a known group of recreational cocaine users and a verified abstinent comparison group found strong evidence that questioned the validity of autobiographical Implicit Association Test (aIAT). In Chapter 2 Study 1 (n=46), the cocaine and heroin aIATs identified 61% drug users in the abstinent control group. The aIAT outcomes are heavily influenced by social knowledge and currently the test cannot be used to assess an individual’s drug using status. Results from Study 2 (n=41) and Study 4 (n=31) make a significant contribution to the understanding of the aIAT mechanism by highlighting its malleability to stimuli framing and instructions. The high accuracy (97%) of the gender aIAT (Study 3, n= 41) reassures that the aIAT is accurate when the target concept (i.e., gender identification) is deeply engrained. Chapters 3 and 4 used mixed methodologies (IATs, questionnaires, vignettes and interviews) to explore the social-psychological aspects related to the misuse of prescription psychostimulants. In Chapter 3, it was found that university students (n=98) hold functional views towards chemical enhancement. In Chapter 4 through qualitative interviews (n=13), it was confirmed that prescription psychostimulant abuse is a novel trend reflecting a generalized tendency to view drugs as instrumental for the adaptation to contemporary social contexts. These attitudes are partially forged by previous experiences with other mind-altering substances. Outcomes of this work suggest that employing mixed methodologies is advisable in substance use research and that progressive public policies should move away from viewing drug use as deviance and confront the issue acknowledging its consolidated presence in post-industrial societies.
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Heydinger, John Moore. "Cultural ecosystem services and the avifauna of the Western Cape: a social-ecological systems investigation." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/13189.
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Includes bibliographical references.The ecosystem services concept has become inextricably linked to the economic valuation approach. Such an approach rests upon a triple incoherency, inadequately accounting for relationships between natural components, social and natural components, and within society itself. These incoherencies have distracted the ecosystem services concept away from its initial grounds: the reliance of humans upon the natural world. The faults of these three arenas are reviewed and found to be insuperable – ecosystem services must be re-imagined if they are to support positive conservation efforts. Such re-imagination here takes place within the framework of Social-ecological Systems (SES) theory. Founded upon the unifying concept of change, SES theory introduces a needed awareness of the dynamic interactions which characterize the process by which ecosystem services are realized by people. This introductory chapter sets the premise from which the rest of this thesis will operate: that the ecosystem services concept must account for the temporal dynamics of social-ecological interactions. Once an element of change becomes linked to ecosystem services only then can the concept may speak meaningfully to the co-constitution of the social and ecological arenas
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Kirkbride-Smith, Anne Elizabeth. "The economic, social and conservation benefits of recreation-orientated artificial reefs." Thesis, University of Hull, 2014. http://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:11669.
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Coral reefs are highly diverse and economically important. Despite this, a confluence of anthropogenic threats endangers reefs globally. The diving tourism industry is an important beneficiary of coral reefs, especially reefs located within the tropical latitudes. With a recent increase in popularity of diving tourism concomitant with a global expansion of marine coastal tourism, reef managers and policy makers are presented with fresh challenges. This study explores the potential economic, social and conservation impacts of artificial reefs as recreational scuba diving resources and investigates their use as a reef management strategy within a marine protected area. A majority of the study was conducted on the Caribbean island of Barbados, West Indies. In the first part of the thesis, I estimate the economic benefits of recreation-orientated artificial reefs through a synthesis of data, and find that artificial reefs have a substantial recreation value. The need for more detailed, high-quality artificial reef valuation studies, that use a standard reporting protocol, is recommended. The second part of the thesis is based on field work using questionnaires to solicit information from users of artificial reefs. Interviews reveal novice divers have a preference for artificial reefs for local diving in contrast to experienced divers who have an overriding preference to dive on natural reefs. Moreover, an inverse relationship exists between diver experience and satisfaction of artificial reef diving, with novices being very satisfied with the experience. Using 24 variables to measure diver enjoyment between artificial and natural reef sites, I establish participants experience significantly higher levels of enjoyment at artificial reefs. Further, it was shown that enjoyment of artificial reefs is attributed to the challenge of the dive, new experiences and photographic opportunities. Irrespective of reef type, I find novices are significantly more influenced by personal incentive attributes of the dive (e.g. updating diving skills), while biophysical aspects of the reef and photography contribute significantly more to experienced divers enjoyment. A contingent valuation study of visitors to pay a daily marine park entrance fee reveals a higher mean willingness to pay (US$18.33) for natural reef conservation than for protecting and maintaining artificial reefs (US$17.58). Variables that exhibit significant explanatory power of willingness to pay include the number of species viewed, age of respondent and level of concern for coral reefs.
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Novis-Livengood, Sherri Lynn. "A Fractal Model of Musical Complexity Biological and Behavioral Support for the Social Bonding Theory of Music." Thesis, Northwestern University, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3563808.
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Throughout history, humans have gathered to create, produce, or listen to music. The ubiquity of behavior suggests music provides a social bonding mechanism, a concept however, that remains theoretically controversial. This dissertation uses four studies to examine social bonding theory, by testing the hypothesis that music structure and social context interact in the brain to produce pro-social behaviors, such as music preference similarity. To begin, we quantify and validate musical structure by employing a fractal model (1/f
βof pitch interval complexity, and measure the effects on higher order systems such as perception (i.e., complexity, melodicity), emotion (i.e., mood, preference), and cognition (i.e., memory) in both a novel and repeated exposure paradigm. Results show that when complexity reflects an optimal ratio of predictability to unpredictability, random tone sequences evoke the perception of music, positive mood, and near perfect memory recognition. In addition, optimal levels are unaffected by repeated exposure, but responses to higher and lower levels become more music-like as exposure increases, providing the first evidence of a categorical response to different levels of musical complexity. Neurally, we show that optimal levels of complexity engage the primary sensory cortex (i.e., bilateral A1) and the sub-cortical reward system, specifically the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), a structure known to process both pleasant music and social rewards. We finish by showing that for an adolescent population, social context (i.e., knowledge of peer ratings) interacts with the level of complexity. When sequences are initially rated as musical, knowledge of positive peer ratings increases the magnitude of ratings. In contrast, when highly complex sequences are initially rated as ambiguous (i.e., neither musical nor not musical), negative peer ratings result in subsequent strong non-musical ratings. Together, results show that social context causes an additive effect that segregates the perception of what is rated as musical and what is not, ultimately driving preference similarity. In addition, results may account for why some preferences are universal and others are highly specific to a group or culture. Future directions are discussed in light of potential neural assessment tools and sound-based therapies to facilitate social bonding.
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Davis, Melinda Fritchoff. "Method variance in the social sciences." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/289721.
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A preliminary taxonomy has been developed that differentiates between trait characteristics, the situation, manifest and subtle methods and interaction effects. The proposed taxonomy divides method into manifest and subtle categories. The obvious, surface characteristics of method are considered manifest, while the deeper structures of method that are not usually seen are considered subtle. Seven manifest method categories are described: stimulus format, response format, response categories, raters, whether the measure is direct or summative, rating the stimulus or the response, and opaque or transparent measures. Numerous subtle method categories can also be seen within the method rather than on its surface. These include semantic or verbal characteristics, direction of wording, measures of amount, ability, latency of response, possessions, situational context, associations, and behavior. Other method categories include report of others reactions, body symptoms, and time frame. Seven item level methods were tested in this study in the context of measurement of Introversion-Extraversion (IE). They included direct questions, direction of wording, situational context, time frame, report of others reactions, preference (semantic or verbal structure), and behavior. Three of these methods (preference, behavior, and direction of wording) introduced substantial method variance in the measurement of IE, and there were also several sizable trait*method interactions: direction of wording, time frame, and preference. Generalizability theory analysis (GT) proved to be quite useful in estimating method effects and interactions. By comparing the findings from GT analysis to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) results, it became clear that there were problems with the CFA results that could not be ignored. Although generalizability analysis is limited in its ability to provide estimates of the trait and method contributions for individual measures, unfortunately, it informs us that the estimates provided by CFA are probably erroneous.
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Horsten, Myriam. "Social and emotional influences on cardiovascular vulnerability in women : exploration of biological mechanisms /." Stockholm, 1999. http://diss.kib.ki.se/1999/91-628-3671-4/.
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Kosovska, Halyna. "The Biological Treatment of Organic Food Waste." Thesis, KTH, Industriell ekologi, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-32714.
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This Master Thesis “The Biological Treatment of Organic Food Waste” is done in the Master’sProgramme in Sustainable Technology at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in co-operation with the company SRV återvinning AB. The report is dedicated to analyze different biological treatment methods (that is composting andfermentation), which are used for the handling of organic food waste. From this analysis I will suggest the best method or methods for the company SRV återvinning AB (the Södertörn Area inSweden) and for the Yavoriv Region in Ukraine in order to increase the environmental performance and to improve the environmental situation in the regions. To be able to do this, a lot of factors are taking into consideration and are described and discussed in this Thesis Work. General characteristic of the regions, different means of control for organic food waste handling, sorting methods of organic waste, as well as composting and fermentationmethods for treatment of organic waste are described and the advantages and disadvantages of these methods, their treatment and investment costs are distinguished in the Thesis. Different treatment methods are discussed from technical and economical points of view for applying them for the SRV and the Södertörn Area in Sweden and for the Yavoriv Region inUkraine and some solutions for these two regions are suggested. Also some recommendations for further studies are done.www.ima.kth.se
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JOHNSON, GREGORY S. "ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PSYCHOLOGY AND NEUROBIOLOGY: LEVELS IN THE COGNITIVE AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1178290821.
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Dorfman, Caroline S. "Social support, health, and recurrent breast cancer: Understanding psychological and biological mechanisms." The Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1434571750.
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Mccagh, Jane Teresa. "Social cognition in epilepsy." Thesis, Liverpool John Moores University, 2009. http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/5954/.
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Some of the psychological problems associated with epilepsy have their origins in the ability of people with epilepsy (PWE) to engage in meaningful and appropriate social interactions. PWE often report difficulties in social settings, yet there is a paucity of research investigating the socio-cognitive skills of this group. This thesis aimed to investigate these skills and relate them to the patient's perceived impact of epilepsy on their social competence. An additional objective was to see whether studying social cognition in focal epilepsy might provide some insight into the organic basis of social cognitive abilities in the normal population. The thesis consists of four separate studies which aimed to investigate social cognition and social functioning in patients with focal epilepsy. With this in mind, a test battery assessing a range of skills linked to social cognition was administered to a cross section of experimental groups (N=95). These included patients with seizure foci in the right frontal lobe (RF), left frontal lobe (LF), right temporal lobe (RT), left temporal lobe (LT) and a group with idiopathic generalised epilepsy (IGE). A normal control group (NC) and a frontal head injured (FHI) group with no epilepsy were also recruited for the study. In Studies 1 and 2 theory of mind (ToM) deficits were apparent in people with RF and LT epilepsy. These groups demonstrated impairment in the appreciation of false belief and deception at first and second order levels of intentionality. They also exhibited deficits in the appreciation of pragmatic language when attempting to infer the meaning underlying hints given by story characters. These impairments were in part attributable to deficits in narrative memory in the LT group. In Study 3 embedding problems within a social context significantly facilitated conditional reasoning in the NC, LT and RF groups but not in the other experimental groups. This finding was unexpected and suggests a double dissociation between ToM and social conditional reasoning. Study 4 investigated the extent to which socio-cognitive impairment was associated with the perceived impact of epilepsy on everyday social functioning. No statistically significant relationship between these variables was found, although a significant negative correlation between education level and impact of epilepsy was observed. Taken together the findings suggest that impairment in ToM may be a particular feature of right frontal lobe pathology and that social conditional reasoning and ToM may be functionally dissociated. PWE do not appear to have insight into their social functioning difficulties, which may well reflect underlying pathology. In light of this, future research should obtain objective measures of social competence from `significant others'. This is the only series of studies to date to assess social cognition in people with frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE) and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) within the same design. It is also the first time that social conditional reasoning in epilepsy has been systematically assessed and represents one of the largest lesion studies within the field of social cognition. It is hoped that some of the test material used in the thesis, may prove to be a useful and inexpensive clinical resource to help identify PWE who are at risk of reduced social competence, and in localising the site of seizure foci in patients during clinical audit, particularly where anterior foci are suspected.
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Santos, Francisco C. "Topological evolution: from biological to social networks." Doctoral thesis, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2013/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/210702.
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Cavanaugh, Barbara Harlow. "Predictors of middle school girls' engagement in suspendable school offenses." ScholarWorks, 2007. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/560.
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Despite research evidence that social context and personal characteristics are related to girls' violent behavior, little is known about the relative contribution of such antecedents. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the relative strength of predictors of school violence among a sample of middle school girls. Of special interest were the intervening variables, because knowledge of their relative strength could enable schools to design targeted interventions to reduce school violence. Social learning theory formed the theoretical foundation for the study. A four-part survey consisting of sociodemographic items, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, an amended version of the Attitudes Toward Violence Scale, and the School Violence Inventory (used to assess engagement in offenses that could result in school suspension) was administered to 229 girls enrolled in a middle school in a southern U.S. state. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regressions in which intervenable variables were entered first as a block, followed by nonintervenable variables. The results indicated that the predictors of school violence (from strongest to weakest) were observation of school violence, gang membership, favorable attitude toward violence, school suspension, grade level, and drug use. This finding suggests that female middle school students may be learning to behave violently by observing others engaged in such behavior at school and through the influence of gangs. Implications for positive social change are that the results could be used by educators and other school officials develop specific interventions that more effective target known predictors of school violence among middle school girls (for example, increased student monitoring, after-school programming, and guided classroom discussions on the nature of violence and its motivations).
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Ziv, Ary. "Dynamics in interactions with digital technology| A depth psychological/theoretical exploration of the evolutionary-biological, symbolic, and emotional psyche in the digital age." Thesis, Pacifica Graduate Institute, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3633365.
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The intention of this exploratory research is to shed light on the psychological impact of interactions with digital technology, which is increasingly pervasive in our culture. This dissertation asks what psychological phenomena are generated by human interactions with digital technology, in general, and with complex recommendation systems, in particular. Nondigital technology is contrasted with digital technology, which achieves new levels of interactivity through its artificial and virtual capabilities. It is proposed that the degree of increased interactivity made possible by digital technology crosses a threshold impacting the psyche in new ways.
A theoretical framework for understanding human-digital technology interactions is introduced and developed. The psyche is conceptualized as evolutionarily and biologically based, functioning symbolically and emotionally both consciously and unconsciously. Ramifications of this conceptualization are explored in the context of interactions with digital/algorithmic technology, using recommendation systems as illustrations.
The theoretical investigation concludes that psyche-digital technology interactions are new phenomena. Psychic processes—by nature evolutionarily and biologically symbolic and largely unconscious—interact with nonbiological digital/algorithmic technology. Because of the incongruence of value systems between biological phenomena and digital/algorithmic logic, unconscious psychic processes resulting from interactions between the biological feeling psyche and nonbiological digital technology are likely to significantly impact both psychic development of individuals, in the short term, and quite possibly the human species at large, in the long term.
The method of exploratory research is interpretive and theoretically oriented, while employing a depth psychological lens. Contemporary depth psychology is described as an integrative field that is receptive to insights from all other fields; it considers unconscious phenomena as vital to human psychological makeup. This study brings together depth psychological and neurobiological theory; and is grounded in the work of depth psychologist Erich Neumann, who describes biological-evolutionary-symbolic unconscious and conscious dynamics of the psyche.
As background, social psychology's discoveries of unconscious social behaviors triggered by interacting with new media are highlighted as fundamental in interactions with computing technology. From a depth psychological point of view, conscious and unconscious relationships to and with technology are explored historically as precursors to interactions with digital technology.
Keywords: human-computer interactions, depth psychology, big data, recommendation systems, digital technology, emotions, affect, feeling, neurobiology, Carl Jung, Erich Neumann.
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Durkin, John. "Psychological growth following adversity : the role of social support." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2010. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/13099/.
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The thesis begins with a review of the trauma literature as it relates to fire and rescue work and the attention given to the negative psychological consequences of involvement in such work. Clinical authorities warn of the psychological harm caused by exposure to traumatic incidents despite the recognition that psychological growth often follows adversity. To address this, firefighters were used in a series of studies to investigate the role of social support in facilitating growth. A philosophical overview of current understandings of trauma and growth was made along with the methodology chosen to pursue this investigation. The first empirical chapter is a test of the relation of growth to two different philosophical types of well-being. It found growth to be related to eudaimonic change, rather than hedonic change. A comprehensive review of the literature on social support and growth then found mixed findings for the association of social support and growth but no strong evidence of a causal relation. Four empirical chapters follow that examine the relations between different types of social support and growth in firefighters. The final empirical chapter is a longitudinal study of social support and growth in firefighters based on the findings of earlier cross-sectional studies. Overall, findings were mixed and the role that social support plays in the facilitation of growth remains unclear. A critical realist perspective was taken at the end of the thesis that raises philosophical concerns about clinical understandings of trauma, its treatment and reliance upon a medical framework for explaining psychological change. The findings offer directions in which future research may progress to establish the role of social support in the facilitation of growth following adversity.
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Hall, Dewana. "A phenomenological inquiry of chronic homeless individuals' challenges to independence." ScholarWorks, 2010. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/819.
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Homelessness is a comprehensive social problem affecting approximately 744,000 people in the U.S. Despite consistent efforts from politicians, state and local leaders, and service providers, the number of homeless people continues to rise. Although there are some explanations in the literature to account for the increase of homelessness, the literature tends to not include the voices of the homeless themselves. The purpose of this phenomenological study, which used Maslow's hierarchy of needs as its conceptual framework, was to understand the life experiences of members of the homeless population, as perceived by four male residents of a mission in an eastern U.S. state. In depth interviews investigated the core research question of the participants' perceptions of what prevents them from living productive lives without the shelter. Follow up interviews were scheduled with each participant to verify the accuracy, context, and credibility of documented information. The process of horizonalization was used to analyze transcripts for meaning units that were then clustered into themes, sorted, and documented by alignment to the research question. After all transcribed interview protocols and the researcher's notes were analyzed, validity of the findings was improved through member checks and researcher bracketing to control bias. Data revealed that common themes of childhood abuse and mental health issues influenced shelter dependence, and that the desire for recovery kept the men from leaving. Results from this study can foster positive social change by informing therapeutic interventions that screen for and target specific underlying causes of chronic homelessness within the larger population of homeless adults. Such interventions can contribute to sustainable independence for those served as well as more efficient use of scarce program resources.
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Cook, Jonathan E. "Social stigma and subjective power in naturalistic social interaction /." view abstract or download file of text, 2007. http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1400960581&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=11238&RQT=309&VName=PQD.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2007.Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-107). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.
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Mischkowski, Dominik. "The Social Side Effects of Acetaminophen." The Ohio State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1438081282.
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Geisemeyer, Sarah. "Duchenne muscular dystrophy : a genetic, cognitive and psychosocial approach." Thesis, Kingston University, 2017. http://eprints.kingston.ac.uk/40678/.
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Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe, progressive muscle wasting disorder that affects 1 in 3600 male births. It is caused by genetic mutations in the dystrophin gene. This study investigated several aspects of the neuromuscular disorder within a population of Brazilian DMD boys and their families. This study's framework was laid out within the prism of an interacting cycle of genetic factors, cognitive functioning, and psychosocial aspects that underlie the neuromuscular disorder. It focuses on DMD's aetiology, history and previous research on genetic, cognitive and psychosocial aspects. Mixed methods were adopted to allow for a more encompassing view of the neuromuscular disorder: cognitive tests, an emotion recognition battery, genetic analyses, well-being questionnaires, and interviews were applied. Correspondent, quantitative and qualitative data analysis was carried out. The findings of 32 DMD patients (mean age 10.4 years, SD= 2 years) and 31 control subjects (mean age 9.4 years, SD= 3 years) revealed severe cognitive dysfunctioning in all assessed cognitive domains in the DMD population, as well as in the ability of emotion recognition. In the DMD group, it could be shown that poor executive functioning stood in a positive correlation with a poor ability of emotion recognition. The DMD patients' cognitive phenotypes were correlated with the genetic mutations in their dystrophin gene, but no relationship between the patients' genotype and cognitive phenotype could be confirmed. These results were contrary to previous research, which suggested that specific mutations in the dystrophin gene cause cognitive impairment. The DMD group scored poorly on the emotion recognition task, which is also a characteristic of autism spectrum disorder. However, when diagnosing for autistic characteristics through means of an interview, only a few similarities between the two disorders could be found. In order to assess the psychosocial components that come along with the disorder, well-being questionnaires were supplied. Interestingly, DMD boys scored higher on well-being than the boys in the control group. Moreover, 30 of the DMD caregivers (mean age app. 31 years) also revealed high levels of well-being, which correlated positively with the well-being of their sons, suggesting high levels of resilience. Given the participants' socio-economic hardship and the lack of governmental help, it was concluded that participants showed an incredible level of resilience that most likely resided within their faith, which nearly all of them stated to be the reason for their strength to strive. The relevant and new information about cognitive, genetic and social aspects of DMD uncovered in this study will pave the way for further (and much needed) studies into psychosocial aspects of the disorder.
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Bochenek, Eleanor A. "Virginia's pelagic recreational fishery: Biological, socioeconomic and fishery components." W&M ScholarWorks, 1989. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd/1539616572.
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Catch, effort, fleet size and boat owner expenditure data were collected on Virginia's recreational marlin/tuna fishery for the 1983-1985 seasons. Logbooks, dockside interviews and a telephone survey were evaluated to determine which method was the most efficient and effective for collecting and estimating catch and effort for Virginia's pelagic recreational fishery. In 1984, logbooks were used to collect catch and effort data and fishing effort was estimated using Bochenek's method. Very few fishermen returned their logbooks and as a result this data is probably less reliable than the data collected in other years. Due to the poor return of logbooks, this method should not be used to assess Virginia's marlin/tuna fishery. For the 1985 season, Figley's telephone survey (1984) was compared to the NMFS dockside interview technique for large pelagics. Both the telephone survey using Figley's technique (1984) and dockside interviews using Bochenek's method for calculating effort appear to provide similar estimates of projected total catch. However, the dockside method is very labor intensive, costly and fraught with problems in estimating fishing effort. Therefore, the telephone survey technique using Figley's method for estimating effort appears to be a better method for analyzing this fishery. If telephone interviewing will not work in an area and dockside sampling methods must be relied upon to study the pelagic fishery, Bochenek's method appears to produce a better estimate of fishing effort. Using Figley's (1984) mark-recapture technique, Virginia's pelagic recreational fleet was estimated at 455 and 774 vessels in 1983 and 1985, respectively. Boat owner expenditures for this fleet were estimated at &3,863,045 in 1983, \&4,057,020 in 1984 and &5,538,191 in 1985. Bluefin tuna were caught at SST ranging from 58-83 F but seem to prefer SST of 70 to 75 F. Yellowfin tuna were caught at SST ranging from 68-86 F with the majority landed at SST of 76-80 F. White marlin appear to prefer SST of 74 to 81 F.
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Yusko, Brittany. "Effects of Increased Levels of Prenatal Mesotocin on Postnatal Individual Recognition and Stress Responsiveness in Northern bobwhite quail (Colinus Virginianus)." FIU Digital Commons, 2014. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1217.
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Oxytocin (OT) plays a key role in the mediation of social and stress behaviors across many species; however, the mechanism is still unclear. The present study investigated the influence of prenatal levels of mesotocin (MT; avian homologue of OT) on postnatal social and stress behavior in Northern bobwhite quail. Experiment one determined endogenous levels of MT during prenatal development using an enzyme-linked immunoassay kit. Experiment two examined the influence of increased MT during prenatal development on chicks' individual recognition ability and stress response to a novel environment. Experiment one showed MT levels increased significantly throughout embryonic development. Experiment two showed significant differences in stress behavior for chicks with increased MT during prenatal development; however, no significant differences were found for social behavior. This study suggests MT serves different functions depending on the stage of embryonic development and that increasing MT levels affects postnatal stress behavior, but not social behavior.
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Loignon, Andrew Caleb. "Social class in the organizational sciences| A meta-analysis." Thesis, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10240988.
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Social class has become increasingly popular in the organizational sciences. Recent studies have found that one’s social class influences phenomena ranging from decision-making, to pro-social behavior, and interpersonal interactions. Despite the burgeoning interest in this topic, there remains a great deal of ambiguity concerning the conceptualization and operationalization of social class. For instance, scholars have used income, education, as well as subjective ratings to measures one’s social class. In order to improve the conceptual clarity of social class, I develop and present a model that draws on the dominant theories of social class from both sociology and psychology, while organizing their key principles to explain how social class influences an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. By using this model as a framework, this dissertation attempts to refine the conceptualization of social class by testing core research questions pertaining to the construct validity of this construct. Based on a comprehensive, interdisciplinary literature search, which yielded nearly 4,000 effect sizes, I used meta-analytical structural equation modeling to test the proposed research questions and hypotheses. The findings offer clear support for two distinct components of social class (i.e., objective and subjective) that are both highly related to one another and associated with other micro-level constructs (i.e., job attitudes). Given the timeliness and importance of social class, the findings of this conceptual review and empirical meta-analysis offer a means of summarizing this large, interdisciplinary literature while guiding future management research on this critical topic.
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Formati, Mary Jean. "Grief resolution in the elderly." Scholarly Commons, 1995. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2775.
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Efforts to predict successful grief resolution in adults have suggested that older adults may experience grief differently than younger adults. In addition, age, coping style, perceived control, and a social support system have also been identified as possible mediating factors in grief resolution. This study explored the effect of age, coping style, and perceived control on grief resolution in 48 independent living residents (aged 65-86) of a Northern California community who had experienced the loss of a spouse. All were members of a widowed person's support organization. It was hypothesized that successful grief resolution would be positively related to perceived external control and to an avoidance coping style. Grief resolution was measured by the Grief Resolution Index (Remondet & Hansson, 1987) and the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck, 1978). Coping style was measured by the Coping Responses Inventory (Moos, 1993). Perceived control was measured by Rotter Locus of Control Scale (Rotter, 1966). The degree of grief resolution was analyzed using 2 x 2 x 2 (Age x Locus of Control x Coping Style) ANOVA on each measure of grief resolution. The hypotheses were not supported.
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Cohen, Susan J. "Illness Uncertainty, Ways of Coping, and Psychological Adjustment Among 18--25-Year-Olds with Anaphylactic Food Allergy." ScholarWorks, 2010. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/838.
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The prevalence of food allergy is increasing, with adolescents and young adults being the group most likely to die from food-induced anaphylaxis. Behavioral and psychological factors contribute to this risk. This study investigated the relationship between illness uncertainty (as measured by the Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale Community Form) and emotion- and problem-focused coping (as measured by the Ways of Coping Scale), to see if they contributed to psychological adjustment (as measured by the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21) in this population. A cognitive diathesis-stress model was used to explain individual differences in adjustment. Multiple regression was used to test illness uncertainty and coping as moderators and mediators of psychological adjustment. Participants (N = 36) were recruited from Internet support groups and social networking sites; the survey was administered online. Illness uncertainty was predictive of psychological adjustment among the entire sample as well as the portions of the sample with more episodes of anaphylaxis and those with exercise-induced anaphylaxis. Emotion-focused coping was positively and significantly associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Both emotion- and problem-focused coping were significant and positively related to the increased anxiety associated with the number of episodes. This study contributes to positive social change by helping medical practitioners and families recognize characteristics associated with poorer psychological adjustment. Uncertainty will remain a feature of this illness until a treatment or cure is found, but these results can help individuals, families, and providers understand and mitigate specific aspects of uncertainty.
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Campbell, Dana L. M. "Species recognition in zebra finches: testing the effects of sex, sensory modalities, and social ontogeny." Thesis, University of Auckland, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/2292/4442.
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Species recognition is an integral component of mate selection and must occur in all sexually reproducing organisms to avoid costly hybridisation. Species recognition abilities may be comprised of both innate components and experience during ontogeny through the learning of visual, acoustic, and other sensory species-specific cues. But how greatly is the ability to recognise one‟s own species (conspecifics) over others (heterospecifics) dependent on the phylogeographic relationship of the array of potential species as social partners and to what extent is the discriminatory behaviour modulated by subject ontogeny versus species identity? Using a model system, which is widely studied in all disciplines of avian research, the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata castanotis), I aimed to investigate the visual and acoustic cues involved in conspecific recognition by both female and male individuals of this species. I used an array of previously untested phylogeographically relevant estrildid heterospecifics as my stimuli and tested subjects of diverse experimental ontogenetic treatments. By scoring a wide-selection of measured behavioural responses my research indicates that female and male zebra finches prefer live conspecifics over live phylogeographically relevant heterospecific stimuli and this preference is more consistent by females than males. Female zebra finches rely on both visual and acoustic features of potential social partners for accurate species discrimination; in this regard video playbacks or the diverse colour morphs of domesticated zebra finches may be useful tools for further experimentation. Additionally, females display significant individuality in their behavioural responses which may be relevant for pair bonding decisions made by both sexes. I further documented that normally-reared zebra finches will prefer song playbacks of their own species but that both rearing in an indoor restricted acoustic environment of conspecifics or cross-fostering to another species will reduce discrimination preferences, although the results may depend on the behavioural metrics analysed. This dissertation is presented as a general overview with details of my specific contributions towards the work included in this thesis, followed by discrete review and data chapters, and a final general discussion.
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Kaplan, Graham James. "EARLY-LIFE METHYLPHENIDATE DECREASES SOCIAL ANXIETY IN ADULT FEMALE RATS WITHOUT CENTRAL DOPAMINE DEFICIENCY." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd/951.
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Methylphenidate (MPH) is the most commonly-prescribed medication for treating ADHD. Despite high prescription rates among kindergarten-aged children, MPH was not approved for use in children younger than nine, and research into its long-term consequences is lacking. Here, we examined the effects of early-life MPH exposure on anxiety-like behaviors in adulthood in normal rats and rats with dysfunctional central dopamine. On postnatal day (PD) 3, male and female rat pups were injected intracisternally with 6-OHDA or vehicle to generate normal and dopamine-deficient groups. In an initial pair of experiments, 6-OHDA (50, 100 and 150 µg/10µL infusion) was assessed for its ability to induce an ADHD-like phenotype. Subsequently, rats were lesioned with 6-OHDA (100 µg/infusion) or vehicle on PD3 and given MPH (0, 0.5, 2 or 5 mg/kg, i.p.) once daily for 10 days, starting on PD11. On PD60, anxiety-like behavior was assessed with light/dark box or social interaction tests. On PD65, all rats were tested on the elevated plus maze (EPM). Rats with neonatal 6-OHDA lesions exhibited anxiety-like behavior in the light/dark box test and on the EPM. However, there was a complex interaction between sex, lesion, and drug dose in the social interaction test. Pretreatment with 2 mg/kg MPH increased investigatory behaviors in non-lesioned females and decreased investigatory behaviors in lesioned females, suggesting that the long-term effects of early-life MPH in females depend on normal dopamine levels. Together, these experiments support the efficacy of preclinical ADHD models and diverse measures of anxiety-like behaviors when studying the effects of early-life MPH exposure.
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Graham, Katharine Anne. "Social processing, frontal asymmetries and the effect of emotion based disorders upon brain functioning and behaviour in infancy." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2014. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/5475/.
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This thesis had three main aims, firstly to explore the experience of auditory social and non-social stimuli upon infants brain functioning. Secondly to explore the role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in social and non-social visual processing and anxiety. Lastly, to investigate the effect of a mother's depression upon infant behaviour. Chapter 1 explored the literature surrounding social and non-social processing in infancy, the role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the effect of depression upon mother-infant interactions and brain functioning. Chapter 2 described the methods used within this thesis. Chapter 3 investigated the impact of speech and non-speech processing upon infant brain functioning. Social and non-social processing in the PFC in infancy was explored in chapter 4. Chapter 5 looked at the impact of a mothers anxiety upon infant frontal asymmetries. Meta-analyses were conducted in Chapter 6 to investigate differences in behaviour in the still-face paradigm between infants of depressed and infants of non-depressed mothers. Chapter 7 summarised the results of the thesis in terms of findings, implications of the results, directions for future work and limitations of the current thesis.
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Sabrina, Irene. "Effect of the Manual Ischemic Compression on the Biological Movement Kinematic." Thesis, Högskolan Dalarna, Institutionen för information och teknik, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:du-38053.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this research is to the investigate the effectiveness of the Local Ischemic Compressiontreatment given to the patients who suffered from a cerebrovascular event, and present themusculoskeletal disorders characterized by the presence of trigger points, specifically regardingelliptical motor performance.There exist studies that demonstrate the kinematic characteristics of linear and elliptical movement inpeople with trigger points without neurological injury, however, these characteristics have not beendescribed in patients who have suffered a cerebrovascular event. Thus, this study is novel whenanalyzing the improper motor functioning in non-paretic upper limb movement control. These typesof patients have been approached from the perspective of neurological injury, and the musculoskeletalinjury that could have an impact on movement control has been neglected.This study provides new evidence on the motor performance of the non-paretic upper limb in peoplewho are suffering from musculoskeletal pain. The obtained results helped us to understand the motorfunctioning in the study sample and offers new insights based on the kinematic characteristics andpower law analysis of the movement performed.Analysis being carried out by considering the 2/3 power law, an empirical law which helps in studyingthe relationship between the tangential hand speed and the curvature of its trajectory during curvedmotion, is widely acknowledged to be an invariant of upper-limb movement. Therefore, the study isfocused on this law to interpret the effectiveness of the Local Ischemic Compression treatment givento the patients suffering with musculoskeletal injury resulting myofascial trigger points. The obtainedresults shows that power law is not much altered by the treatment which means that the ischemiccompression has only a peripherical effect (i.e., musculoskeletal system) and does not affect the motorprogramme of the human being (i.e., central nervous system). The one possible reason of having suchresults could be small sample size. Further research is suggested with large study sample.
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Meyers, Kelly Stephen. "Video games, aggression, and the new ESRB ratings system." Scholarly Commons, 1997. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2631.
Full textAbstract:
The current study sought to accomplish three goals: (a) examine the short term effects of the current hi-tech aggressive video games on children who play them; (b) improve upon the methodology of previous studies by using a combination of self-report, physiological (heart rate), and behavioral observations (Bobo doll aggression) together in one study; and (c) examine how the new Entertainment Software Rating Board's (ESRB) ratings system relates to aggression in children who have played aggressive and non-aggressive video games. It was hypothesized that (a) playing video games which depict interpersonal aggression would lead to increased aggression in children, and that (b) the ESRB rating system is useful but incomplete as it relates to post-video game aggression differences. Specifically, games which involve very high levels of interpersonal aggression as their main theme are sometimes given the same classification (rating) as a game containing no or very little aggression. The current study expected to find that the game content rather than game classification predicts post-game aggression on the part of the player. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
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Fishfader, Vicki Lynn. "Evidential and extralegal factors in jury verdicts: Presentation mode, retention, and level of emotionality." Scholarly Commons, 1994. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2774.
Full textAbstract:
It is becoming commonplace for video technology of various forms to be utilized in modern courtrooms. However, little research exists on how the use of videos in the courtroom influences jury decision making. Studies on this topic could lead to greater understanding of the mechanisms by which jurors arrive at their decisions. For example, jurors are instructed not to let emotional factors impact their decisions, yet attorneys often appeal to a juror's conscience rather than his or her intellect in trying to win a case.
In order to examine these issues, the present study attempted to answer two main questions. First, does video footage influence jurors more than traditional oral testimony? Second, if video evidence does have a strong impact on juror decisions, what are the mechanisms by which this occurs? Participants examined actual materials from a civil case presented in one of three formats: print (transcripts), traditional oral testimony, or traditional testimony plus audiovisual recreation. They were given the Profile of Mood States (POMS) as a pre-and post-test measure of emotional state. Furthermore, they were tested on retention of factual material and asked to designate damage awards as well as responsibility levels of both the plaintiff and defendant in the case. Results indicated that a number of changes in mood state occurred following stimulus presentation, regardless of the stimulus presentation mode or gender of the subject. The five POMS scales on which this pattern appeared were the Depression-Dejection scale, the Fatigue-Inertia scale, the Anger-Hostility scale, the Vigor-Activity scale, and the Total Mood Disturbance scale.
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Driver, Charles C. "Hierarchical Continuous Time Dynamic Modelling for Psychology and the Social Sciences." Doctoral thesis, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.18452/18927.
Full textAbstract:
Im Rahmen dieser Dissertation bemühe ich mich, den statistischen Ansatz der zeitkontinuierlichen dynamischen Modellierung, der die Rolle der Zeit explizit berücksichtigt, zu erweitern und praktisch anwendbar zu machen. Diese Dissertation ist so strukturiert, dass ich in Kapitel 1 die Natur dynamischer Modelle bespreche, verschiedene Ansätze zum Umgang mit mehreren Personen betrachte und ein zeitkontinuierliches dynamisches Modell mit Input-Effekten (wie Interventionen) und einem Gaußschen Messmodell detailliert darstelle. In Kapitel 2 beschreibe ich die Verwendung der Software ctsem für R, die als Teil dieser Dissertation entwickelt wurde und die Modellierung von Strukturgleichungen und Mixed-Effects über einen frequentistischen Schätzansatz realisiert. In Kapitel 3 stelle ich einen hierarchischen, komplett Random-Effects beinhaltenden Bayesschen Schätzansatz vor, unter dem sich Personen nicht nur in Interceptparametern, sondern in allen Charakteristika von Mess - und Prozessmodell unterscheiden können, wobei die Schätzung individueller Parameter trotzdem von den Daten aller Personen profitiert. Kapitel 4 beschreibt die Verwendung der Bayesschen Erweiterung der Software ctsem. In Kapitel 5} betrachte ich die Natur experimenteller Interventionen vor dem Hintergrund zeitkontinuierlicher dynamischer Modellierung und zeige Ansätze, die die Art und Weise adressieren, mit der Interventionen auf psychologische Prozesse über die Zeit wirken. Das berührt Fragen, wie: 'Nach welcher Zeit zeigt eine Intervention ihre maximale Wirkung', 'Wie ändert sich die Form des Effektes im Laufe der Zeit' und 'Für wen ist die Wirkung am stärksten oder dauert am längsten an'. Viele Bei-spiele, die sowohl frequentistische als auch bayessche Formen der Software ctsem verwenden, sind enthalten. Im letzten Kapitel fasse ich die Dissertation zusammen, zeige Limitationen der angebotenen Ansätze auf und stelle meine Gedanken zu möglichen zukünftigen Entwicklungen dar.With this dissertation I endeavor to extend, and make practically applicable for psychology, the statistical approach of continuous time dynamic modelling, in which the role of time is made explicit. The structure of this dissertation is such that in Chapter 1, I discuss the nature of dynamic models, consider various approaches to handling multiple subjects, and detail a continuous time dynamic model with input effects (such as interventions) and a Gaussian measurement model. In Chapter 2, I describe the usage of the ctsem software for R developed as part of this dissertation, which provides a frequentist, mixed effects, structural equation modelling approach to estimation. Chapter 3 details a hierarchical Bayesian, fully random effects approach to estimation, allowing for subjects to differ not only in intercept parameters but in all characteristics of the measurement and dynamic models -- while still benefiting from other subjects data for parameter estimation. Chapter 4 describes the usage of the Bayesian extension to the ctsem software. In Chapter 5 I consider the nature of experimental interventions in the continuous time dynamic modelling framework, and show approaches to address questions regarding the way interventions influence psychological processes over time, with questions such as 'how long does a treatment take to reach maximum effect', `how does the shape of the effect change over time', and 'for whom is the effect strongest, or longest lasting'. Many examples using both frequentist and Bayesian forms of the ctsem software are given. For the final chapter I summarise the dissertation, consider limitations of the approaches offered, and provide some thoughts on possible future developments.
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Dubey, Indu. "Social motivation in people with and without autism spectrum disorders." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2016. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/34461/.
Full textAbstract:
It is commonly observed that people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) make fewer attempts to have social contact. A recent theory suggests that reduced motivation to have social interactions might be the root for social difficulties in ASD (Chevallier, Kohls, Troiani, Brodkin, & Schultz, 2012). There are currently few simple behavioural ways to test these claims. The aim of this research was 1) to develop a measure of social seeking component of social motivation that is simple enough to be used with a large population of people with ASD; and 2) to test if there is evidence of reduced social seeking in people with ASD. As the first part of this research, I developed and tested a simple behavioural paradigm “Choose-A-Movie” (CAM) that evaluates the effort participants make to view social vs non-social stimuli hence estimating the reward value of the stimuli. It was found that typical adults prefer to watch social stimuli more but they trade-off their stimuli preference for effort. In experiment 2 I used the same paradigm with adults with and without ASD and found that unlike typical adults people with ASD prefer non-social stimuli but they too trade-off their stimuli preference for effort. Having established the efficacy of the CAM paradigm in adults with and without ASD, in experiment 3 I explored CAM’s efficacy for younger participants. A comparison between adolescents with and without ASD on CAM showed that both groups prefer choice requiring less effort, and participants with ASD prefer non-social stimuli to social. However unlike typical adults, typical adolescents did not show a preference for social stimuli. Though these experiments supported the reduced social motivation theory of ASD, they raised questions about the development of social seeking in typical people. Therefore, in experiment 4 I tested participants between ages 4-20 years on CAM. The results showed that typical individuals undergo a decline in their social seeking tendencies during pre-adolescence. This highlights the need for developmental evaluation of social seeking in both ASD and non-ASD populations. Finally, in experiment 5 the CAM paradigm was compared with an Approach-avoidance (AA) task, a frequently used measure of social seeking (Aharon et al., 2001). The findings suggested that social preference could be elicited more strongly in typical adults using CAM paradigm. Furthermore the autistic traits of participants were a reliable predictor of social seeking on CAM but not on AA task. These results raise the question of whether different tools claiming to measure social seeking target the same behaviour. Overall, this research shows that social motivation can be quantified using a simple behavioural paradigm – CAM that targets social seeking component of it, and also that social motivation is reduced in people with ASD. At the same time this research raises important questions about 1) developmental changes in social seeking in typical people, and 2) if different tools of social seeking, measure the same underlying construct. It is important to explore these questions to have a better understanding of social seeking in people with ASD.