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Previous research has shown that infants can discriminate both native and non-native speech contrasts before the age of 10-12 months. After this age, infants' phoneme discrimination starts resembling adults', as they are able to discriminate native contrasts, but lose their sensitivity to non-native ones. However, the majority of these studies have been carried out in a testing context, which is dissimilar to the natural language-learning context experienced by infants. This study was designed to see the influence of speaker-gender and visual speech information on the ability of 11 month-old infants to discriminate the non-native contrasts. Previous research in our laboratory revealed that 11 month-old infants were able to discriminate retroflex and dental Hindi contrasts when the speech was infant-directed, the speaker was a female and visual speech information was available (i.e., infant watched digital movies of female speakers). A follow-up study showed that with an adult-directed male voice and absence of visual speech information, 11 month-old infants did not discriminate the same non-native contrasts. Hence the aim of the present study was to address the questions posed by these two studies. Does the gender of the speaker matter alone? Also, to what extent is the visual speech information helpful for the discriminatory abilities of the infants? Would the manner of speech help infants discriminate the non-native contrasts? The result of the current study show that 11 month-old infants were unable to discriminate between the phonemic Hindi contrasts. Hence gender seems to matter as the presence of male face and voice did not seem to aid discrimination. / Master of Science

"May 2002." Bibliography: leaves 123-144. Aspects of the control of ventilation and an upper airway dilator muscle (genioglossus) are compared between healthy men and women, in an attempt to identify a gender difference that may contribute to the high male prevalence of sleep apnea.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the sources of occupational segregation between men and women. Specifically, three hypotheses are tested. First, do stiff specific training requirements for an occupation increase the likelihood that it is male-dominated, as would be expected from human capital theory? Second, do differences in perceived natural ability between the sexes heavily influence the possibility of an occupation being male- or female-dominated? Finally, do differences in preferences for job attributes between men and women influence the chance of whether an occupation will be male- or female-dominated? The data used in this study cover 495 occupations from 1979 in which on-the-job worker requirements are provided describing workers' level and type of education, natural ability, on-the-job environmental conditions, and physical demands. Occupations are divided into three categories: female-dominated, male-dominated, or neutral. The empirical model uses a multinomial approach to estimate the log of the odds that an occupation is male-dominated relative to being neutral and the log of the odds that an occupation is female-dominated relative to being neutral. The results of this study imply that sizable specific training requirements for an occupation increase the likelihood that it is male-dominated and higher levels of general education requirements increase the possibility that an occupation is female-dominated. There is evidence to support the hypothesis that differences between the sexes' perceived abilities contribute to occupational segregation. Most on-the-job environmental conditions and physical demands do not affect the likelihood that an occupation is male- or female-dominated in contrast to the traditional claim that women prefer more desirable working conditions than men. / Graduation date: 1994

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves : [109]-111).

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Research shows that the initial honeymoon phase of a marriage dissolves after some time and differences between the couple begin to hamper the harmony in the relationship. One of these differences is that attributed to gender. This study attempts to study these phases of the relationship. It approaches this issue from an inductive standpoint to counterbalance the deductive quality that pervades most literature in this field. A mixed qualitative and quantitative design was selected in a multiple case study format. An open style interview preceded and followed a Q-sorting exercise. Ten individuals (five couples) who have been married between five and ten years were studied. For several reasons, including the need to widen the cultural base of the research field, the study was conducted in Malta, a Mediterranean culture. The information provided by each participant (called coresearcher here to indicate the empowerment accorded to them in the research), was organized by re-casting it into a narrative form. The accuracy of the narrative was additionally validated by the respective co-researcher and an independent reviewer. The purpose was to construct individual and common stories of the marriage f r om the perspective of difference and harmony. Comparisons between individuals and gender revealed common factors, indicating the generic path of these relationships, and individual factors based on previous history, personality, gender and culture Individual life thanes, the dialectic pattern of relating, and phases i n the relationships were identified. Finally, the results were compared to previous research on love, relational development, gender differences, and attachment. The model of the dialectic was found to be a useful tool for understanding relationships and integrating research. Finally, the implications of this study on counselling, and possibilities for further research were discussed.

This study identified gender-related differences in post-exercise peripheral blood flow and body temperature in neutral environment (21ºC). The subjects were 11 male (22 +/- 4 years) and 14 pre-ovulatory female (23 +/- 3 years) recreational runners VO2max: 62 +/- 5 mL/kg &bull; min for men and 55 +/- 5 mL/kg &bull; min for women). Forearm blood flow rectal (Trec) and forearm skin temperatures (Tsk), and forearm vascular resistance (mean arterial pressure/forearm blood flow) were measured pre-exercise (pre), immediately after (t = 0), and every 15 minutes up to 105 minutes (t = 105) post-exercise (45-minute run at 75% of VO2max). ANOVA revealed main gender effects for Trec, Tsk, and forearm blood flow (men > women) as well as for forearm vascular resistance (women > men). Compared to pre-exercise, Trec at t = 0 showed a similar increase in men (1.3ºC) and women (1.2ºC). Trec decreased thereafter to reach pre-exercise level after 25 minutes in men. In women, Trec kept decreasing to reach a lower than pre-exercise level after 60 minutes (p < 0.05). Tsk was similar at pre and t = 0 for both genders. In contrast, Tsk was lower in women than men (29.0 +/- 1.3 versus 30.7 +/- 1.5ºC) at t = 105 (p < 0.05). Forearm vascular resistance was similar in men and women pre-exercise and decreased by about 50% in both groups at t = 0. Between t = 30 and t = 105, the women increased their forearm vascular resistance up to 35% more than did the men. These observations suggest the existence of gender-related differences in thermoregulatory and cutaneous blood flow responses during recovery from submaximal exercise.

Thesis (M.A.)--Youngstown State University, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-125).