Thesis (M. A. (African Languages)) -- University of Limpopo, 2004 / Refer to the document

Thesis (M.A. (African Languages)) --University of Limpopo, 2012 / Refer to document

This dissertation posits a crucial and profound relationship between the Victorian crisis of faith and the simultaneous emergence of fantasy and science fiction novels. Grouping these genres under the term "supernatural novel," the following chapters examine this relationship through close readings of novels published between 1818 and 1897, showing the variety of ways in which this new type of literature spoke to a Victorian sense of being caught between a staunchly traditional religious faith and a newly accessible agnostic materialism. At times, for example, these texts suggest ways to negotiate a compromise between these two viewpoints, and at others they voice a longing for the experience of religious belief in previous centuries. Charles Taylor's A Secular Age highly informs the readings of these novels in its articulation of the complexity of the Victorian religious crisis, emphasizing changes in the character and experience of belief, even for the majority of Victorians who remained devout Christians. Taylor's seminal work joins with histories of religion, biographies, reviews and articles from Victorian periodicals, and theories of genre to discuss how the supernatural novel can uniquely address the anxieties and frustrations inherent to the crisis of faith. Through combining the literary form of the novel, strongly associated with realism and secular ways of knowing, with fantastic and imaginary content, this expanding genre reflected the "cross pressures" of faith and rationalism experienced by a Victorian readership.

Philosophical and scientific investigations into the nature of belief and knowledge are ancient, extending back to the beginnings of rational thought. It is not until the last few decades that we have been able to peer into and examine the organ of belief, the brain. Neuroanatomical perspectives have begun to address the long-standing questions of epistemology by identifying specific neural regions that are critical for the storage and evaluations of beliefs. Here, a novel neuroanatomical model of belief and doubt is presented, where post-rolandic association cortices are critical for the storage of beliefs and the prefrontal cortex is necessary for the doubt and evaluation process. It is proposed that the singular function of the prefrontal cortex is "false tagging" (the neuroanatomical essence of doubt) to mental representations in post-rolandic cortices. Individuals that have dysfunction to the prefrontal cortex, such as patients with explicit damage to the prefrontal cortex, from tumor resections or cerebral vascular events, should show a "doubt deficit", accompanied by a general increased belief to information. Evidence is presented indicating that deficiencies in the "false tagging" function may explain a wide assortment of abnormalities in neurological and psychiatric patients. Several experiments in various populations (neurological, developmental, and psychiatric) were conducted to examine the role of specific brain regions in the believing and doubting process. First, two studies gave participants explicitly-labeled false beliefs and measured the ability of the participants to falsify these beliefs. It was predicted that participants with dysfunction to the prefrontal cortex would be poor at falsifying novel beliefs. Results confirmed the predictions. Second, participants were given pairs of statements that represented opposite opinions on some issue and responded by agreeing or disagreeing with each statement. Participants with dysfunction to the prefrontal cortex, who, theoretically, have a "doubt deficit," should show compartmentalized minds, where cognitions are easily believed but rarely doubted against other extant mental information. Results suggested that participants with prefrontal cortex dysfunction were more likely to agree to opposing statements. Third, individuals with dysfunction to the prefrontal cortex should lack a dissonant state that can change attitudes, when two cognitions are in conflict. Using a free-choice paradigm, it was found that participants with prefrontal dysfunction showed either extreme attitude change after choice or no attitude change after choice, which is consistent with a "no dissonance" state. Finally, individuals with compartmentalized minds tend evince an authoritarian personality. A psychometric scale and a behavioral measure of authoritarianism were examined in the participants. Results indicated that participants with prefrontal cortex dysfunction showed increased authoritarianism on the psychometric scale, but decreased authoritarian behavior, reflecting a dissociation between knowledge and behavior. In conclusion, the results support the theoretical assertions that the prefrontal cortex is critical for "false tagging" or doubting cognitive representations. Data from neurological, developmental, and psychiatric populations are broadly consistent with the theory and offer strong external validity.

In Lebanon, estimates of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) use among college students are not available. CAM practices are not well regulated and some products contain unsafe substances. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and predictors of CAM use among Lebanese college students using the health belief model. A quantitative cross sectional research design was used. An online survey was administered to 126 Lebanese college students with the aim of determining the most important predictors of CAM use. A majority (89%) of surveyed students reported the use of CAM in the last 12 months. Based on the findings of a multiple logistic regression analysis, perceived susceptibility (OR = 1.781), perceived barriers (OR =.809), and cues to action (OR = 1.650), 95% CIs [1.185, 2.678], [.658, .995], [1.049, 1.821], respectively, significantly predicted CAM use. Results indicate that people who perceive themselves more susceptible to diseases, who do not perceive barriers to CAM use, and who follow more cues to action are more likely to use CAM than others. These factors provide pathways for facilitating positive social change by developing stricter governmental policies to ensure consumer safety and to promote high quality products, and by driving the development of public awareness interventions about CAM use and related health risks.

Works of fiction do things to us, and we do things because of works of fiction. When reading Hamlet, I mentally represent certain propositions about its characters and events, I want the story and its characters to go a certain way, and I emotionally respond to its goings-on. I might deem Hamlet a coward, I might wish that Hamlet stabbed Claudius when he had the chance, and I might feel sorrow at Ophelia’s senseless suicide. These fiction-directed mental states seem to resemble the propositional attitudes of belief, desire, and emotion, respectively — the everyday attitudes that represent and orient us toward the world. These mental states constitute our engagement with fiction, and the way in which they hang together is central to understanding our engagement with fiction. In that aim, this thesis hopes to provide an analysis of our belief-like attitudes about works of fiction. I argue that a folk psychological theory of fictional engagement should call upon belief, not imagination, to serve as the primary cognitive attitude with which we engage fictions.

Diabetes is a growing health concern among those in rural locations. Rural residents smoke more, exercise less, have less nutritious diets and are more likely to be obese than urban residents. Evidence-based diabetes prevention programs targeting behavior change are available to this population yet participation remains low. This study examined the self-reported barriers and health beliefs of those who declined participation in a diabetes prevention program (DPP). Of 269 clients identified to be at risk for developing Type II Diabetes (T2D), only 85 answered the phone and 33 were interviewed to discuss their health beliefs and reasons for not participating in a diabetes prevention program. Almost half of the participants who expressed their lack of desire to participate in the DPP cited a low level of interest and not seeing any personal benefit as their primary reasons. Participants were closed off when asked what it would take to get them to participate in the program with 63% citing “nothing” as the most common answer when questioned as to what would encourage their participation. In order to limit barriers to participation in prevention-based programs for rural populations special attention needs to address improving general interest and knowledge about the efficacy of a DPP.

Companies, across the globe are concerned with risks that impair their ability to produce quality products at a low cost and deliver them to customers on time. Risk assessment, comprising of both external and internal elements, prepares companies to identify and manage the risks affecting them. Although both external/supply chain and internal/production line risk assessments are necessary, internal risk assessment is often ignored. Internal risk assessment helps companies recognize vulnerable sections of production operations and provide opportunities for risk mitigation. In this research, a novel production line risk assessment methodology is proposed. Traditional simulation techniques fail to capture the complex relationship amongst risk events and the dynamic interaction between risks affecting a production line. Bayesian- integrated System Dynamics modelling can help resolve this limitation. Bayesian Belief Networks (BBN) effectively capture risk relationships and their likelihoods. Integrating BBN with System Dynamics (SD) for modelling production lines help capture the impact of risk events on a production line as well as the dynamic interaction between those risks and production line variables. The proposed methodology is applied to an industrial case study for validation and to discern research and practical implications.

There is limited research measuring public opinion about the correctional practice of solitary confinement (SC). Given that public opinion can influence policies, it is important to determine whether or not one's beliefs can be updated upon receiving information about the use and effect of SC. Prior research indicates that public opinion is malleable, and thus, may be susceptible to modification. Though, people may be more willing to update their beliefs when the information they receive confirms their existing beliefs (i.e., confirmation bias). This study used an experimental design in which participants were asked to provide their opinions on a series of statements designed to measure their support for SC. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions that provided differing messages about the use of SC through brief, informational videos. Participants were either told that SC is a necessary tool to maintain order within prisons, or that SC is harmful to those who experience it. Following the intervention, participants' support for SC was re-measured and their change in score was calculated. Analyses indicated that participants who received information stating that SC is harmful decreased their support for the practice, while those who received information stating it was necessary increased their support for its use. To test for confirmation bias, participants were presented a survey instrument designed to measure their existing support for punishment. The findings indicate that participants had greater belief changes when presented with disconfirming information. These effects were more pronounced when examining moderating demographic variables. The research and policy implications of this study's findings are discussed.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a disease that affects the body's ability to metabolize glucose effectively. The disease is predicted to be prevalent in over 300 million people by the year 2030. African Americans (AA) have the highest prevalence rates in the United States. Lifestyle modification and awareness of risk factors, including family history, are important aspects for prevention of developing T2DM. The purpose of this study was to understand if a family history of T2DM played an influential role in individuals making positive health behavior changes for T2DM prevention. The phenomenological study was grounded in the health belief model. Participants selected for this study were at least 18 years of age, self-identified as AA, self-reported a family history of T2DM, and were not diagnosed with the disease themselves. Transcriptions of 20 face-to-face interviews were stored and organized via a qualitative research software NVivo Version 12 for Mac and later analyzed for data outcome. Participants demonstrated a strong awareness of T2DM with an accurate definition of T2DM and explanation of signs, symptoms, and prevention. Participants recognized family history as a risk factor in only 55% of the responses. However, family history played a major role in prevention in the lives of the participants. The participants reflected on personal barriers to health behavior changes and were encouraged to incorporate better life choices in their own lives. This research offers communities, healthcare providers, and stakeholders a better understanding of the importance of family history as a risk factor to T2DM as programs are developed to mitigate health disparities in the AA community.