Health and communication researchers have studied tobacco related risks and behaviors, and associated variables for more than 20 years. Some of their studies have produced consistent findings, while others have produced findings that are inconsistent and complex. To address these problems, this study used a common set of comparable samples, a common set of variables, and a common set of measurement techniques that are found in the 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2004 National Youth Tobacco Surveys (NYTS). In this study, secondary analysis techniques were used to identify substantive predictors of youth susceptibility to smoking, lifetime smoking, and current smoking. When considering the NYTS sample results for adolescents ages 11 to 18, there is clear evidence that youth susceptibility to smoking has not declined since the Master Settlement Agreement in 1998. By comparison, there is good evidence that lifetime smoking and current smoking have declined, though the effect size measures for these changes are minimal. The study results further point to the utility of measures documenting peer (best friends) smoking and receptivity to pro-tobacco promotions as predictors of adolescent susceptibility to smoking. Measures of favorable attitudes toward smoking/smokers are somewhat less consistent positive predictors of smoking susceptibility. The results further confirm that age, peer smoking, and receptivity to pro-tobacco promotions are substantive, positive predictors of lifetime smoking and current smoking. A cluster analysis produced two adolescent audience segments reflecting tobacco-related risks. The first cluster represented household smoking and receptivity to pro-tobacco promotions risks and the second cluster represented peer smoking and favorable attitudes toward smoking/smokers risks. The cluster segmentation of adolescents was particularly useful in predicting lifetime and current smoking behaviors. The cluster segmentation results, however, indicate that additional variables are needed to explain and predict the sample observations. This study concludes with a discussion of factors that possibly limit the empirical findings. Several theories are identified for inclusion in future research. Recommendations are also made to focus attention on identifying the anti-tobacco campaign components that have been successful following the MSA. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2008. / March 19, 2008. / National Youth Tobacco Survey, Master Settlement Agreement, Risk Indicators, Susceptibility, Health Communication (Anti-Tobacco), Logistic Regression, Longitudinal Analysis, TwoStep Cluster Analysis, Effect Size (Pearson's Contingency Coefficient), Public Relations (Communication) Campaigns, Lifetime Smoking, Current Smoking / Includes bibliographical references. / Gary R. Heald, Professor Directing Dissertation; Michael D. Hartline, Outside Committee Member; John K. Mayo, Committee Member; Jay D. Rayburn, Committee Member.

Consumers' search for information on the Internet is predicted to become the most popular activity associated with commerce on the Internet. Recent studies have revealed a growing number of car buyers who research their automotive purchases on the Internet. However, little knowledge about Internet advertising related to online consumer information search has been accumulated in the area of Internet advertising research. To date, we have rarely seen studies, specifically experimental ones, of attitudes toward Internet advertising using attitude function theory, although this is a recently re-highlighted research approach to persuasive communication. Hence, the main purpose of this dissertation study was to advance the understanding of consumers' attitudes toward Internet advertising as persuasive communication by the extension and the application of attitude function theory to the new medium. On the basis of a comprehensive literature review, the analysis of recent research on Internet advertising as persuasive communication identified a knowledge gap in Internet advertising research: Previous studies have virtually ignored the effects of advertising messages in terms of consumers' psychological needs and associated attitudes in order to understand persuasive communication effects on the Internet. Attitude function theorists predict that the effectiveness of persuasive communication messages will be greater when the messages match attitude functions of message recipients than when the messages do not match such attitude functions. Thus, applying attitude function theory to Internet advertising research area, this study tested functional matching hypotheses in relation to a new media context such as the Internet. Following a growing, alternative approach to the study of Internet advertising, this dissertation examined the persuasive communication effects of commercial websites as a format of Internet advertising. A focus group discussion and two pilot studies were conducted as the preliminary research for this dissertation. Two main experiments were performed to test research hypotheses and answer the research question for this study. Attitude function-based websites related to car information search were constructed as the stimulus materials for the main experiments. Experiment 1 tested functional matching hypotheses. Experiment 2 replicated Experiment 1 and also manipulated corporate credibility as a special case of source credibility in a form of publicity. Attitude function was measured via the attention-to-social-comparison-information (ATSCI) scale as the revised self-monitoring scale in both experiments. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) tests were conducted for the statistical analysis of data, mainly because previous traditional and Internet advertising research suggested empirical evidence that attitude toward the site, attitude toward the brand, and behavioral intention to revisit the site as the dependent variables in this study are significantly correlated. The results of the MANOVA test for Experiment 1 did not find empirical evidence suggesting a significant functional matching effect on the combination of three dependent variables. On the other hand, the MANOVA results for Experiment 2 found empirical evidence that there was a significant multivariate main effect of corporate credibility on the combination of three dependent variables even though there were no significant interaction effects among attitude function (as measured by the ATSCI scale), attitude function-based website appeals, and corporate credibility on the combination of the dependent variables. Discussion of results provided theoretical explanations for inconsistent findings from the experiments. Limitations of this study are discussed, and several suggestions for future research are provided. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2006. / August 17, 2006. / Publicity, Integrated Marketing Communication, Corporate Credibility, Internet Advertising, Attitude Function, Self-Monitoring, Advertising, E-Commerce, Experiment / Includes bibliographical references. / Laura M. Arpan, Professor Directing Dissertation; Ronald E. Goldsmith, Outside Committee Member; Stephen D. McDowell, Committee Member; Arthur A. Raney, Committee Member.

Over the past several decades, overweight and obesity levels have increased throughout the United States. From 1991 to 1999, the BRFSS (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System) indicates that the greatest increases among obese people occurred in persons with some college education (10.6% to 17.8%), those between the ages of 18 and 29 years (7.1% to 12.1%), and those living in the South Atlantic area (e.g., 71.8% of Florida, 10.1% to 17.4%). The overweight (or obesity) epidemic, especially for college students, is a complex phenomenon without a single cause. Few studies, however, have been done regarding the value of college- and university-based interventions. Studies suggest that those beliefs which discriminate between high-intenders (those who intend to perform a specific behavior) and low-intenders (those who have lesser intentions to perform a specific behavior) may be candidates for communication interventions to enhance audience intentions to perform specific behaviors. This study examines the utility of theory-based discriminate messages designed to increase college students' intentions to eat healthy food and engage in substantive physical activity. In the present study three research objectives are presented. The first objective is to report the relative contributions of variables in an extended theory of planned behavior model (TPB, plus habit, symbolic modeling, and direct modeling) predicting behavioral intentions to eat healthy food and perform physical activity in direct or indirect ways. A second objective is to give a detailed analysis of underlying cognitive structures corresponding to specific beliefs, which discriminate most between high-intenders and low-intenders. The final objective is to report the effects of discriminated messages in changing behavioral intentions to eat a healthy diet and to perform physical activity following a classroom intervention. Structural Equation Model (SEM), ANOVA, stepwise regression, MANOVA, ANCOVA, and repeated measures ANOVA procedures were used to test the effectiveness of the discriminated messages. The extended TPB model used in this study served as a useful framework for understanding determinants of behavioral intentions of healthy eating and physical activity. Final models in both the healthy eating and physical activity domain showed acceptable fit statistics. For the second objective, a series of discriminating beliefs were selected for persuasive intervention messages in the treatment group. After the message intervention, ANCOVA analyses showed significant higher posttest mean scores for two constructs (e.g., perceived behavioral control (PBC) and behavioral intention) in both the healthy eating and physical activity domains. The repeated measures ANOVA analyses revealed, once again, that treatment group participants were consistently higher than control group participants in the mean scores of behavioral intention and PBC. Moreover, the greatest pre-posttest changes were for the low intenders in the experimental group for both behavioral intention and PBC. Overall, the current study contributes to the literature because it uses a theory-driven approach to develop discriminate messages that can be used to influence college students' intentions to eat healthy food and to participate in physical activity. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2006. / June 12, 2006. / Engage In Physical Activities, The Effects Of Discriminate Message. Behavioral In, Eat Healthy Foods / Includes bibliographical references. / Gary R. Heald, Professor Directing Dissertation; Isaac Eberstein, Outside Committee Member; John K. Mayo, Committee Member; Felipe Korzenny, Committee Member.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of teaching paraeducators to read to preschool children in a manner that facilitates the development of language and literacy skills on the quality of reading that occurs and on children's participation. This study examined the role of the readers' behavior before and after training and prompting in evoking children's participation in a low SES preschool setting. The participants included 6 at-risk preschool children as well as 2 paraeducators. An A-B-A withdrawal design was used to evaluate the effects of a book reading treatment on the readers and the children. Results revealed that both paraeducators and children produced significantly more total utterances per minute, particularly meaning-focused utterances as well as code-focused utterances in storybook reading sessions during treatment. Results indicated that changes in training and support the paraeducators received across the different experimental phases were responsible for changes in adult readers' verbalizations during book reading. These changes also were associated with increases in child verbalizations and participation during book reading. This approach to training paraeducators and providing prompts in books can be utilized to make better use of preschool personnel as effective interventionists, particularly as facilitators of language and literacy development. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Communication Disorders in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Fall Semester, 2006. / November 6, 2006. / At-Risk Preschool Children, Paraeducators, Joint Storybook Reading, Language, Literacy / Includes bibliographical references. / Howard Goldstein, Professor Directing Thesis; Stephanie Dent Al Otaiba, Outside Committee Member; Lisa Scott, Committee Member.

This study examined some of the most commonly cited factors that affect the reforms of broadcast policies governing developing countries' broadcast media, and how these factors influence the establishment of Taiwan's cultural sphere. The subjects for this study were key persons from government, educational, economic and television production sectors involved in the planning and implementation of broadcast policies in Taiwan. They included public officials responsible for broadcasting policy, educators and community activists, media policy analysts and television manager and producers. The data of the study were collected through informant interviewing and document review. Within the Government Information Office, a number of public officials were consulted. Beyond the GIO, other media sources and agencies provided important documentation in the form of surveys and reports. The investigation was carried out in Taiwan over a period of four months between April and August 2004. The results of this research reveal that in spite of the expectation that television should be used to help foster and promote national culture, Taiwan has not successfully developed and implemented policies to ensure the achievement of this policy goal. The research findings indicate that the production of domestic television programs are undermined through a colonized broadcasting system. Despite of the influence of foreign broadcasters over the cultural production, the case study also shows that the role of civil society group in restructuring television industry is made manifest by resistance to private groups' intervention in the broadcasting policy process. This study has practical implications for the formulation of national broadcasting policies in recently-democratic countries and other countries facing similar dilemmas. The broadcasting policy analysis conducted in this study focused in part on the commercialism of foreign television programs, which severely threatens indigenous cultures around the world. In an era of globalization, the preservation of local identity is a challenging goal for broadcasting policy planners since the many states have embraced neo-liberalism approaches to the communication sector. Within a situation of global-local nexus, the study concludes that protection of national cultural spheres will be the important policy agenda for both policy makers and researcher for years to come. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2005. / March 28, 2005. / Neo-Liberalism, Civil Society Groups, Broadcasting Policies, Cultural Sphere / Includes bibliographical references. / John K. Mayo, Professor Directing Dissertation; John C. Bertot, Outside Committee Member; Gary R. Heald, Committee Member; Stephen D. McDowell, Committee Member; Andrew Opel, Committee Member.

Detractors of the current lyrical content of Hip Hop music claim it has devolved to the proliferation of the gangsta image as the defacto voice of contemporary Hip Hop culture. However, the factors that influenced the evolution of rap music have gone unexamined. The current research is a historical analysis that attempts to document the origins of commercial rap music and the factors and events that drastically affected its development as an art form. These factors include but are not limited to the discovery of white suburban males as the primary consumers of gangsta rap, which led to the genre garnering the most mainstream and commercial appeal, and the research examines how the deregulatory statutes of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 created an unnatural progression of the music that has resulted in the stifling of socially conscious artists and the promotion of hardcore rap music into a commercially lucrative global commodity. Results of the analysis show that the early commercial rap lyrical content began as a cultural response to the socioeconomic oppression of inner-city African-Americans, and lyrics were geared towards a party atmosphere in the late 1970s and early 1980s before progressing to the addressing of social issues plaguing the black community. The analysis also suggests that because of the differences in which gang culture developed in New York City and Los Angeles, respectively, two very distinct and separate cradles of Hip Hop civilization were formed. The New York artists were geared towards socially conscious ideals while West Coast artists took a much more confrontational approach and created what is now referred to as gangsta rap. The consequences of white consumption of black popular culture are discussed and are key in understanding the development of the Hip Hop music industry; the extreme, still- prevalent effects of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 are also examined, as well as the resulting trends in lyrical content. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Summer Semester, 2011. / April 7, 2011. / Rap Music In Historical Context, Rap Lyrics And Politics, Oral Literature, Rap Lyrics As Poetry, Rap Lyrics And Society, Lyrical Analysis, Rap Lyric Content Shifts / Includes bibliographical references. / Jonathan Adams, Professor Directing Thesis; Gary Heald, Committee Member; Stephen McDowell, Committee Member.

This study was conducted in an effort to gain insight on falls, an important issue facing the elderly population. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related visits to emergency departments in the United States and the primary etiology of accidental deaths in persons over the age of 65 years (Fuller, 2002.) This investigation analyzed gait measurements and cognitive-linguistic processing in healthy elderly participants. The participants involved 20 healthy elderly individuals. They were required to walk across a mat known as the GAITRite Walkway System. This system was used to record gait measurements and to generate a Functional Ambulation Profile (FAP). FAP is a composite score derived from a formula that includes several critical parameters of gait that have been shown to be a valid indicator of risk for falls. Several conditions were conducted in which participants simultaneously walked across the mat while performing cognitivelinguistic tasks that varied in complexity such as counting by ones (low cognitive linguistic task) and reciting an alpha-numeric sequences (high cognitive linguistic task). Results indicated several changes in spatial/temporal gait parameters, primarily during high-cognitive linguistic tasks. These changes in gait measures indicated participant usage of an altered and perhaps more cautious walking style. Scores for FAP were found to be significantly below normal range during high cognitive-linguistic tasks as well as significantly changed from a control condition of walking with no talking. Normal FAP scores range from 95 to 100. These findings suggested that reciting alpha-numeric sequences simultaneously during walking increased the predictive risk for falls as measured by the FAP. The information offered insight into the performance of dual tasks or increased cognitive-linguistic load as possible contributors to falls, and highlighted the importance of limiting distractions or task competition for elderly individuals during ambulation. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Communication Disorders in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Summer Semester, 2007. / January 5, 2007. / Cognitive, Linguistic, Elderly, Parkinson's, Gait, FAP, Functional Ambulation Profile / Includes bibliographical references. / Leonard L. LaPointe, Professor Directing Thesis; Gary Heald, Outside Committee Member; Julie Stierwalt, Committee Member.

With the increase in "smart" devices that connect to the internet, it is important to study how individuals perceive characteristics of innovations and how those perceptions relate to adoption behavior. This paper explores how attributes delineated by the diffusion of innovations (DOI) model (relative advantage, compatibility, visibility, trialability) and technology acceptance models (TAMs; perceived usefulness, ease of use) correlate with one's interest in using an internet-connected device. Eligible survey responses were collected from 116 participants which evaluated individual perceptions of new technology. Subsequently, quantitative analysis explored the relationship between individuals' technology perceptions and purchasing intentions. The current research extends pre-existing models by finding that social influence and device customizability play key roles in one's intent to purchase. Research incorporating these factors into the diffusion of innovations model and technology acceptance models will not only improve the design process for future devices but also will influence the objectives of current technology marketing efforts.

In spite of numerous health efforts to reduce cancer prevalence and mortality, current estimates place this condition as the second most deadly disease in the U.S., falling only behind heart disease. To assist health professionals in their attempt to alleviate the burden associated with cancer, this study examines communication, demographic, rational and affective factors that predict involvement in cancer-related behaviors among U.S. adults. In addition, this study explores gender differences among the proposed relationships and tests the applicability of risk-as-feeling hypothesis to cancer-related phenomena. The study uses the Health Information National Trends Survey data set collected in 2005. The data contains measures related to cancer knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, access to and use of communication channels, risk perceptions, worry and demographic characteristics. A path analysis is employed to test the relationships identified by three hypotheses. These analyses are specific to certain cancers including lung, colon and skin cancers. In addition, these analyses feature a multiple group comparison technique (males versus females). The main findings include no support for a gender effect on the proposed relationships. Even though several gender effects are encountered for some relationships, the patterns are not common across cancers or predictors. In addition, the results suggest partial support for the risk-as-feeling hypothesis. The hypothesized impact of emotions on reason and the influence of affect on cancer-related behaviors are supported by some of these analyses. Finally, based on the results, this study is able to advance suggestions for the development of a single model across various types of cancers. In addition, several individual results are of noticeable importance. The control variables, age, race and education are consistent predictors of knowledge and online health information seeking. Worry consistently predicts risk perceptions, regardless of the cancer type. Moreover, worry has the highest coefficient among all predictors of risk perceptions. Almost a third of the variance in cancer-related knowledge, online health information seeking behavior and risk perceptions is attributed to the proposed predictors and the control variables. Predictors, while significant, account for a small portion of the variance in cancer worry or cancer related behaviors / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2009. / May 12, 2009. / Worry, Path Analysis, Risk Perception, Cancer Prevention, Communication / Includes bibliographical references. / Gary R. Heald, Professor Directing Dissertation; Isaac Ike W. Eberstein, Outside Committee Member; John K. Mayo, Committee Member; Felipe Korzenny, Committee Member.

Growing evidence has suggested a facilitatory role of gesture on speech production (Frick-Horbury & Guttentag, 1998; Hostetter, Alibali, & Kita, 2007; Rose & Douglas, 2001). The general theme proposed by these investigations was that gestures assist word retrieval by engaging mental imagery or conceptual processes (de Ruiter, 1998; Hadar & Butterworth, 1997; Wesp, Hesse, Keutmann, & Wheaton, 2001; Kita, 2000). Accordingly, the focus of previous investigation was typically on gestures that appeared to be meaningfully connected to speech (e.g., known as "representational", "lexical", or "iconic" gestures). It seems, however, that people also use gestures semantically unrelated to their speech, and the nature of these gestures is purely motoric (Kim, Stierwalt, LaPointe, Alani, & Lewis, 2007). Despite the frequent occurrence of non-semantic gestures, there are few studies that have examined a potential role of non-semantic gestures on speech production (Kim et al., 2007; Ravizza, 2003). The current study investigated the effect of non-semantic gesture using constant circular hand movements on word retrieval. Seventy-eight undergraduates (42 males, 36 females) completed the picture naming tests across two conditions (i.e., imposed gesture vs. restricted gesture). All of the participants were right-handed but their degree of handedness varied. The primary purpose of this study was to see if there is a difference in response time and inaccuracy across the conditions. In addition, the present study intended to examine the potential influence of gender and degree of laterality on picture naming performance. The results of this study suggested that for individuals without neurological compromise, increased motoric activation by constant circular hand movements did not facilitate lexical retrieval. No influence of gender and degree of laterality was found in this experiment. The researchers speculated that for non-semantic movement to have an effect on word retrieval, it should be used "spontaneously", not imposed. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Communication Science and Disorders in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2011. / March 28, 2011. / Picture Naming, Accuracy, Response Time, Neural Activation, Word Retrieval, Non-semantic Gesture / Includes bibliographical references. / Julie A. G. Stierwalt, Professor Directing Dissertation; Leonard L. LaPointe, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Colleen Kelley, University Representative; Joanne Lasker, Committee Member.