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Typescript. / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Bibliography: p.389-392. / 392 p. : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Centre for European Studies and General Linguistics, Discipline of Classics, 2003?

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2006 / Includes bibliographical references (p. 387-431). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1975. / Parallel title in Chinese.

This project explores the role that the United States Supreme Court plays in shaping public opinion. Previous scholars have successfully demonstrated that political elites influence public opinion, but those researching the Court's influence on attitude change have reached mixed findings. I build on previous work in three important ways. First, I employ a method of attributing attitude change to the Court that is a theoretical and empirical improvement over previous ways of identifying those who should be influenced by the justices, "reception" of cases. By "reception", I mean whether an individual understands the Court's decisions. Second, I place Court decisions within the broader information environment that includes the cues sent to the public by other political elites. These cues may reinforce or undermine the justices' decision, which could amplify or undercut the effect of receiving cases on attitude change. Third, I take advantage of recent work on the dynamics of attitude change by interacting reception with one's relevant pre-existing beliefs and personal characteristics. To test these assertions, I use a mixed method, multi-case design that combines existing survey research with original data collected from a quasi-experiment conducted in summer 2005. The results indicate that under certain conditions, receiving Court decisions is associated with attitude change on the issues involved in the cases. This project closes with several suggestions for future research including how to refine reception as a method of attributing attitude change to the Court. / text

The Ethnic Mental Illness (EMI) Scale, a questionnaire to discriminate European and Hispanic attitudes toward mental illness, was developed. Fifty-one college students of Hispanic ethnicity and 194 college students of European ethnicity completed a 150 item questionnaire measuring attitudes toward mental illness. A cross-validation sample of 50 Hispanic students and 194 European students ethnicity yielded 15 items that reliably differentiated the two groups. Based upon content, the 15 items were grouped into six categories: hopefulness, trust, biological aspects of mental illness, childhood origins, finances, and sex differences. Items which did not discriminate Hispanics and Europeans are described, as these items are possible indicators of common attitudes toward mental illness. A group of 66 Asian students also participated in the study. The items which differentiate Asians from Hispanics and Europeans are described. These items were not cross-validated.

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The aim of this study was to assess the attitudes of community psychiatric nurses, mental health professionals and primary health care nurses towards mental illness, mentally ill people and deinstitutionalisation. The sample of this study comprised 38 community psychiatric nurses, 20 mental health professionals and 55 primary health care nurses, all of whom were from Durban, Pietermaritzburg and their surrounding areas. Each participant completed a biographical questionnaire, the Opinions of Mental Illness scale (1962) and the Community Mental Health Ideology scale (1967). Four focus groups on attitudes towards deinstitutionalisation, comprising 25 participants in total, were also conducted. Statistical analyses were computed using the Statistical Programme for Social Scientists. Krueger's (1984) methodology was employed to analyse the focus groups results. The quantitative results revealed that community psychiatric nurses, mental health professionals and primary health care nurses generally tended to express neutral attitudes towards mental illness, mentally ill people and deinstitutionalisation. Significant differences in attitudes towards mental illness and mentally ill people were found amongst respondents in different categories of race, educational levels and treatment of a friend for a mental illness. The focus groups results revealed that while the community psychiatric nurses and mental health professionals were positive about the concept of deinstitutionalisation, they did not favour it's implementation within the current South African economic and social contexts. Based on their fear of mentally ill patients, the primary health care nurses displayed negative attitudes towards the concept of deinstitutionalisation and were also cautious about it's implementation within the current South African context. Implications and recommendations arising from this study are discussed. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1998.

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