The communicative interchanges of a congenitally deaf child who received a cochlear implant at 24 months of age were videotaped in fifteen hourly sessions over a nine month period while she participated in auditory-verbal therapy prior to and following implantation. The present study examined selected early communicative behaviors. Using Tait's (1993) protocol for charting communicative adult-child interaction, gestures, eye-gaze, and sound uttered either by the child or an adult during communicative interchanges were transcribed from the videotapes. Results corresponded with Tait's, revealing growth in the child's communicative interaction across sessions. In less than three months following implantation phonemic measures rose dramatically. Almost all phonemic measure correlations were significant, high, and positive.

Drumming is first described for five North American stonefly species, Acroneuria evoluta, Doroneuria baumanni, Isoperla namata, Chernokrilus misnomus, and Pictetiella expansa. Signals of Acroneuria lycorias, Phasganophora capitata and Isoperla signata are further described. Drumming was not recorded from Amhinemura delosa. Signals of A. evoluta are the most complex yet recorded in Plecoptera. Doroneuria baumanni, P. expanse, C. misnomus and P. capitata have 2-way exchanges. Male D. baumanni produce two prolonged beats by rubbing the hammer on the substratum; male-female signals are non-overlapping in the first two species and overlapping in the latter two. Female P. capitata answered with an unusually long sequence of beats. Two male Isoperla species produced monophasic calls without female answers. Female A. lycorias answered taped male signals with monophasic signals like all observed females.

This study explored campus principals' leadership behaviors and leadership styles to determine possible influences of leadership on teacher absences. The study was viewed through the framework of Bass and Avolio's (1985) transformational and transactional leadership styles. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Self-Report (MLQ-SR) was used to identify principals' perceptions of their leadership styles. Absence data were also collected and analyzed for the school years (2012-2013, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015). Data were triangulated using one-on-one interviews with selected principals and teacher focus group discussions. The findings from this study verified that leadership style (described in terms of leadership behaviors) influenced teacher absenteeism indirectly through the culture and climate of the campus. Future research is recommended to discover whether incentive programs decrease teacher absenteeism and how leaders can influence their organizations through their behaviors.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Systems Engineering / Chih-Hang Wu / The topic of infectious disease epidemics has recently attracted substantial attentions in research communities and it has been shown that the changes of human behaviors have significant impacts on the dynamics of disease transmission. However, the study and understanding of human reactions into spread of infectious disease are still in the very beginning phase and how human behaviors change during the spread of infectious disease has not been systematically investigated. Moreover, the study of human behaviors includes not only various enforced measures by public authorities such as school closure, quarantine, vaccination, etc, but also the spontaneous self-protective actions which are triggered by risk perception and fear of diseases. Hence, the goal of this research is to study the impacts of human behaviors to the epidemic from these two perspectives: spontaneous behavioral changes and public intervention strategies. For the sake of studying spontaneous changes of human behaviors, this research first time applied evolutionary spatial game into the study of human reactions to the spread of infectious disease. This method integrated contact structures and epidemics information into the individuals’ decision processes, by adding two different types of information into the payoff functions: the local information and global information. The new method would not only advance the field of game theory, but also the field of epidemiology. In addition, this method was also applied to a classic compartmental dynamic system which is a widely used model for studying the disease transmission. With extensive numerical studies, the results first proved the consistency of two models for the sake of validating the effectiveness of the spatial evolutionary game. Then the impacts of changes of human behaviors to the dynamics of disease transmission and how information impacts human behaviors were discussed temporally and spatially. In addition to the spontaneous behavioral changes, the corresponding intervention strategies by policy-makers played the key role in process of mitigating the spread of infectious disease. For the purpose of minimizing the total lost, including the social costs and number of infected individuals, the intervention strategies should be optimized. Sensitivity analysis, stability analysis, bifurcation analysis, and optimal control methods are possible tools to understand the effects of different combination of intervention strategies or even find an appropriate policy to mitigate the disease transmission. One zoonotic disease, named Zoonotic Visceral Leishmaniasis (ZVL), was studied by adopting different methods and assumptions. Particularly, a special case, backward bifurcation, was discussed for the transmission of ZVL. Last but not least, the methodology and modeling framework used in this dissertation can be expanded to other disease situations and intervention applications, and have a broad impact to the research area related to mathematical modeling, epidemiology, decision-making processes, and industrial engineering. The further studies can combine the changes of human behaviors and intervention strategies by policy-makers so as to seek an optimal information dissemination to minimize the social costs and the number of infected individuals. If successful, this research should aid policy-makers by improving communication between them and the public, by directing educational efforts, and by predicting public response to infectious diseases and new risk management strategies (regulations, vaccination, quarantine, etc.).

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Personal Financial Planning / Sonya L. Britt / John E. Grable / This dissertation explores financial behavior outcomes based on economic, relational, and behavioral characteristics within marriages and individually. Data for the three essays are obtained from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort (NLSY79) and the NLSY79 Child and Young Adult (1986-2008) survey. Essay one examined the determinants of money arguments within marriage utilizing Lundberg and Pollak’s (1994) theory of non-cooperative game theory. Respondents’ negative financial behaviors, higher income, and birth order (being laterborn) were found to influence a greater frequency of money arguments. Essay two examined the predictors of individuals’ financial behaviors, specifically socialization characteristics and gender role attitudes (traditional versus non-traditional). Using a theoretical framework of gender role theory (Eagly, 1987), younger age, not being married, being non-Black, non-Hispanic, being males, and having higher income were all found to be predictive of at least of one of the three financial behaviors used in this study. Finally, using a theoretical framework of Becker’s (1993) theory of human capital, essay three explored the intergenerational transfer of attitudes and human capital across two generations and their possible link to the respondents’ financial behaviors. Results showed that mothers’ enhanced human capital, endowed and attained, and nontraditional gender role attitudes have a significant positive impact on the children’s financial behaviors. Respondents’ income was also found to be significant. Combined results of the dissertation reveal that a link exists between the three issues discussed in the individual papers. Essay one examined what factors, including financial behaviors, might influence spousal money arguments. In response, essays two and three explored the predictors of financial behaviors within one generation and across two generations. These studies may be beneficial to financial planners, counselors, and therapists by exposing specific determinants of positive versus negative financial behaviors. These findings also provide useful information for policymakers in creating programs that best serve the needs of individuals related to their personal financial issues. Overall, by exploring not only monetary, but attitudinal and socialization effects of financial behaviors, this study adds to the body of knowledge related to the encompassing field of personal financial planning.

Master of Science / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Sandra Stith / Sexual assault is a serious problem on college campuses. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that are associated with sexual assault survivors reporting their assault. The sample included 266 individuals who had experienced a sexual assault since enrolling in their university. A multinomial regression was tested to predict the odds of whether or not the survivor made a formal report of the assault, an informal report to friends or family members, or if the survivor told no one about the assault. The type of assault, the survivor’s relationship to the perpetrator, whether or not the survivor was drinking alcohol at the time of the assault, whether or not the survivor received sexual assault training, and the survivor’s perception of the overall campus climate were added as predictors of the odds of making a report. The participant’s belief that the university would handle the assault appropriately was used as a moderator of those associations. Race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation were used as control variables. It was found that if the survivor had received sexual assault training, if the assault was vaginal or anal sex, and if the survivor had a positive perception of the overall campus climate, they were more likely to formally report the assault. If the perpetrator was an acquaintance, friend, or dating partner, survivors were less likely to formally report the assault. If the survivor was a racial or ethnic minority, they were less likely to formally or informally report the assault. Our findings suggest that there are ways universities can aid in survivors reporting their sexual assault through education, training, and improving the overall campus climate.

Responsive parenting is characteristically child-centered and creates a climate where children's needs are met. While responsive parenting has been studies less than harsh parenting, initial evidence supports a negative relationship between responsive parenting and children's externalizing problems. The current study sought to identify mechanism by which responsive parenting reduces risk for externalizing problems in the preschool years. Specifically, the study sought to evaluate the extent to which children's language development and children's emotion regulation skills mediate the expected negative relationship between responsive parenting and children's externalizing problems. While responsive parenting was found to be negatively related to children's externalizing problems, support for mediation was not found. Results are discussed in terms of what may account for the lack of support for study hypotheses

The aim of this study was to investigate and describe online interpersonal victimization (OIPV) in terms of gender differences and the association between such victimization and online behavior of active social media users in a Swedish sample. Since social media has become such a big part of our world it is of importance to study OIPV in this forum. Previous research has found that OIPV is a rather common phenomenon, that there are gender differences included and that certain online behaviors are risk factors. OIPV by itself is not a crime but rather an umbrella term including the legal terms illegal threat, slander, insult, harassment, sexual harassment, stalking and crimes against the personal data act or the copyright act. The cyberlifestyle–routine activities theory was used in this study to understand which online behaviors were risk factors in our sample. To answer the aim a survey was made and answered by 338 participants. The answers were tested with chi-square tests (χ²) and Mann-Whitney U tests in order to examine differences in gender regarding victimization and to find differences between the victimized and non-victimized group regarding their online behaviors. The results showed a high prevalence of OIPV and that women were more likely to be victims of OIPV, especially of harassment, sexual harassment, threats of sexual violence and stalking. The online behaviors that were significant risk factors in our sample were the use of a profile picture of themselves and number of hours spent on social media every day. This combined indicated that social media may not be a completely gender equal place and that online behaviors may not indicate the risk of being victimized equally well for both genders. / <p>2016-06-01</p>

O empreendedorismo é um tema que atrai cada vez mais interessados, por diferentes razões, em contextos e realidades distintos. Valorizar e apoiar esse fenômeno torna-se essencial para o sucesso econômico e social, não só do Brasil, mas de todo o mundo. Uma das formas de apoio é através de programas de educação empreendedora. Esse estudo visou compreender fatores determinantes para o empreendedorismo, tendo o empreendedor como foco nessas discussões, bem como aspectos comportamentais envolvidos nesse processo, e a efetividade de programas de educação empreendedora. Talvez um dos programas mais aplicados em educação empreendedora, o EMPRETEC é um grande símbolo quando se trata desse assunto. Ao longo dos seus trinta anos de existência, estando presente no Brasil há vinte e cinco, mais de trezentos e cinquenta mil pessoas passaram pelo programa, das quais duzentos e cinquenta mil somente no Brasil. Entretanto, o programa sofreu mudanças no seu formato, conteúdo e duração. Estudos anteriores já haviam demonstrado a efetividade do EMPRETEC, mas não havia disponível nenhum estudo relativo à última mudança, ocorrida em 2011. O presente estudo visou avaliar o impacto desse programa, sob o ponto de vista da efetiva prática dos comportamentos empreendedores, e investigar como no dia a dia os empreendedores os praticam. A partir dos dados obtidos, é possível concluir que os participantes do EMPRETEC adotam a prática efetiva dos comportamentos preconizados pelo programa, e consideram que o EMPRETEC fez diferença em suas jornadas empreendedoras. Uma vez que a presente pesquisa tomou como base a autopercepção dos próprios empreendedores(as), sugere-se a continuidade de estudos sobre este e outros programas de educação empreendedora que sejam capazes de avaliar a prática de comportamentos e seu impacto nos resultados do empreendimento para além da narrativa dos participantes. / Entrepreneurship is a theme that attracts more and more interested, for different reasons, in distinct contexts and realities. Appreciating and supporting this phenomenon is essential for economic and social success, not only for Brazil, but for most countries of the world. One of the ways of supporting is through entrepreneurial educational programs. This study aimed to understand determinant factors for entrepreneurship, having the entrepreneur as a focus on these discussions, as well as behavioral aspects involved in this process, and the effectiveness of entrepreneurial educational programs. Perhaps one of the most famous programs in entrepreneurial education, the EMPRETEC is a great symbol when it comes to this issue. Throughout its thirty years of existence, being present in Brazil for twenty-five, over three-hundred and fifty thousand people have attended the program, two-hundred and fifty thousand from Brazil alone. However, it has undergone changes in its format, content and duration. Previous studies had already demonstrated the effectiveness of the EMPRETEC, but no study was available concerning the last change, which occurred in 2011. This study aimed to assess the impact of this program, from the point of view of the effective practice of entrepreneurial behaviors, and to investigate how in everyday life, entrepreneurs practice them. From the data obtained, it is possible to conclude that the participants of the EMPRETEC adopt the effective practice of the behaviors advocated by the program and consider that the EMPRETEC made a difference in their entrepreneurial journeys. As the present research was based on the self-perception of the entrepreneurs, future studies could evaluate the behavioral performance throughout other methods beyond these narratives.

Thesis advisor: Sandra R. Mott / The purpose of this research was to address the gap in the literature regarding the lack of first hand accounts of the factors that influence adolescent sexual decision making. Using a narrative approach, I asked a cohort of late adolescent participants to tell their stories about the events surrounding their decision to become sexually active, and how this initial decision affected subsequent decision making. The specific research questions that guided the study were: 1) What are late adolescents' perspectives of the factors that influenced their decision to become and remain sexually active? and 2) What is the effect of sexual decision making regarding coital debut on subsequent sexual activity? To accomplish my research aims I used narrative inquiry to elicit rich information, in the adolescents' own words, about what they perceive to be the most salient factors that contributed to their decisions to engage in sexual activity. I recruited a purposive sample of 11 late adolescents between the ages of 18 and 22 years from a series of family planning and sexually transmitted infection (STI) clinics in the Northeastern United States. As their stories unfolded, four main components emerged. These components included the internal and external environmental context, expected social norms, implied sexual consent, and self-reflection and evaluation. The results of this study provide evidence that adolescent sexual decision making is a complex process with multiple layers of influence. Through the stories of my participants, I have constructed a more comprehensive conceptualization of adolescent sexual decision making and related sexual behaviors. This will guide the development of possible interventions to improve health care for this population. These interventions include expanding nursing knowledge to inform the development of theories, practice innovations, research, sexual health education, and policies for addressing adolescents' needs across the continuum of the adolescents' development from childhood to adulthood. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Connell School of Nursing. / Discipline: Nursing.