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Data from seven work sites that had purchased a commercial weight loss program for their employees was used to determine (a) the most prevalently identified barriers and motives for weight loss, (b) the relationship between barrier identification and subsequent attrition at 3 and 6 months post program initiation, (c) the relationship between motive identification and subsequent attrition at 3 and 6 months, (d) the relationship between barrier identification on weight loss at 3 and 6 months, (e) the relationship between motive identification on weight loss at 3 and 6 months, (f) the effectiveness of the program at the end of three and six months of participation (g) the reach of the program into the eligible employee population, and (h) the proportion of the targeted employee population that ultimately benefited from the program and the degree to which they benefited (i.e., effectiveness that accounts for reach and retention). The most frequently selected barriers were being stressed, having too many opportunities to eat unhealthy foods, and a lack of time to exercise. The most frequently selected motives were to look better, a sense of it being the "right time", and to improve health. Chi square test revealed that those participants who selected a given barrier or motive were more likely to be retained than those who did not select a given barrier at the beginning of the program. When we controlled for age and gender, we found that women who selected motives at the beginning of the program were more likely to be retained on this program than men. Age of the participants did not influence their retention on the program. Logistic regression analysis when controlling for gender & age indicated that women and older adults were somewhat more likely to be retained on the program at both 3 and 6 months of participation. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that there was no significant association between selection of total motivators and barriers and weight loss at 3 & 6 months of participation. Intention to treat analyses using baseline value carried forward for participants lost to attrition revealed that participants lost a significant (p<.01), yet modest, 2.1 lbs of weight at 3 and 2.5 lbs of weight at 6 months of participation. Follow-up analyses were conducted to determine the overall proportion of the workforce that benefited (i.e., lost weight) at 6 months. Of the 1607 participants who were retained at 6 months 1088 were successful in losing weight and lost, on average 9.4 pounds (95% CI: 8.8 to 9.9 pounds), a clinically significant 4.4% of initial body weight. Thus, 10.1% of the total employee population benefited from the weight loss program and lost a clinically relevant amount of weight. The findings of this study indicate that information on motives and barriers most frequently identified by the participants can be used to customize weight loss programs in order to enhance retention of its participants. Also presenting reach by effectiveness data to the employers could help them in making more sophisticated decisions while choosing a commercial weight loss program for their employees. / Master of Science

The relationship between the psychobiological model of personality types (psychoticism, extraversion, and neuroticism) devised by Eysenck & Eysenck (1985) and Internet use and usage motives was examined. A sample of 210 undergraduate students were asked to report on their motives for using the Internet and how often they engaged in a variety of Internet and web-based activities. The findings demonstrate distinctive patterns of Internet use and usage motives for those of different personality types. Specifically, those scoring high in neuroticism reported using the Internet to feel a sense of "belonging" and to be informed. Extraverts rejected the communal aspects of the Internet, and made more instrumental and goal-oriented use of Internet services. Finally, those scoring high in psychoticism demonstrated an interest in more deviant, defiant, and sophisticated Internet applications. The role of personality in audience segmentation research is discussed along with implications of the findings in usability and interface design. Suggestions for future research are included. / Master of Arts

The purpose of this study is to explore the novels of a highly respected author of young adult literature and to summarize the plots, analyze the themes, and examine the motivations of the characters in a format that would be accessible and useful to the classroom teachers and students who read her novels. The bulk of the document will follow the format of the Twayne Series of Young Adult Writers, a serial publication of biographical information, plot summary, and critical commentary that is standard in many school libraries. Cynthia Voigt's novels are both popular with teachers and students and well-acclaimed by literary critics and scholars of young adult literature. The first chapter outlines Voigt's professional career and the events in her life that affected her writing. The four chapters that follow treat individual novels grouped as they relate to themes of defining a self, balancing commitment to self and family, learning to recognize and value individual differences, and finding the courage to challenge socially conventional expectations. The sixth chapter summarizes Voigt's philosophy of personal development as it is reflected in her writing, and the last chapter suggest strategies which could be applied to Voigt's novels in the classroom. Throughout the analyses of Voigt's novels, critical Opinions and scholarly commentary have been summarized to provide a perspective that is informed by a variety of sources of information about this author's work in particular and about young adult novels in general. / Ed. D.

This study investigates if different personality types are connected to different motives for Instagram use. 187 participants with 150 females and 44 men were part of this study and they were recruited through a Facebook group. The findings were that there was no gender differences in the use of Instagram and that the most frequent motive for Instagram use was “Surveillance/knowledge about others”. People who scored high on the neurotic personality trait tended to use Instagram with “surveillance” as their motive, while extraverted people tend to use Instagram with “documentation” as their motive. People who score high on  openness mostly used Instagram with “creativity” as their motive, and people spend mostly 5 to 1 hour a day on the application. The conclusion is that different personality traits are connected to different motives for Instagram use but not all of the five in the Big Five. The ones that were connected to different motives were extraversion, openness and neuroticism. Conscientiousness and agreeableness had no connection to any of the motives. / Denna studie undersöker skillnader i personlighetstyper kopplat till olika motiv för Instagram-användning. 194 personer har deltagit i studien varav 150 stycken kvinnor och 44 män och de blev rekryterade via en Facebook-grupp. Inga könsskillnader i användandet av Instagram hittades och det främsta motivet för användning var "övervakning/kunskap om andra". Personer som har mycket av personlighetsdraget neuroticism tenderar att använda Instagram med "dokumentation" som deras motiv, och personer som har mycket av openness tenderar att ha "kreativitet" som deras motiv för Instagram-användning. Personer spenderar generellt 5 minuter till en timme om dagen i appen. Slutsatser som dras är att personer med olika personlighetstyper har olika motiv för användandet av Instagram men inte alla personlighetstyper i Femfaktorteorin. Personer som hade mycket av personlighetsdraget conscientiousness eller agreeableness hade ingen koppling till något av motiven.

Uncounted Cadences is a drawing installation in the thesis exhibition that furthers my exploration in tracing movement through psychological and physical geographies. Gestural drawings of human and animal bodies in motion are woven into local landscape imagery that is printed with powdered charcoal through a silkscreen. Using both additive and subtractive processes, the layering and erasure suggest loss, reclamation, and the nature of memory. The drawings are cut and provisionally reassembled into a cinematic sequence as if they are pieces of film being edited and spliced. This process shows an unfolding over time and involves listening to the rhythmic pacing of bodies morphing, decaying, birthing, or leaving. Time is not experienced as progress ; rather, the rearrangement of fragments allows for a continuous retelling of stories. / by Jill Lavetsky. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

A cidade de São Paulo registrou altas taxas de homicídio durante os anos 1990 e 2000. Este fenômeno está profundamente relacionado com os elevados níveis de criminalidade urbana no final de 1970. Em geral, os estudos sobre crimes violentos enfatizam o impacto da distribuição desigual de direitos, o domínio do crime organizado, e incapacidade do Estado para fazer cumprir a lei e manter a ordem. No entanto, há uma falta de literatura sobre os crimes violentos como resultado de conflitos interpessoais. Esta dissertação propõe transitar do o nível macro ao nível micro de análise, bem como mudar o foco dos estudos de homicídios para os estudos sobre conflito. Os dados utilizados foram autos de processo penal para crime de homicídio registrados entre 1991 e 1997 em 16 delegacias das regiões Norte e Oeste do município de São Paulo; foram selecionados 30 processos de conflitos ocorridos em bares. Este estudo analisou também o entendimento jurídico da banalidade. Nos últimos anos, aumentou o discurso de certos meios de comunicação sobre as razões triviais dos crimes violentos. Identificou-se que os conceitos banais e fúteis são manipulados a fim de qualificar tipos aceitáveis de sensibilidade e emoções sociais envolvidos em crimes violentos. Por fim, foi examinado como agressores, vítimas e testemunhas justificam os conflitos e as violências deles resultantes. Identificou-se que as hostilidades são consequência de brigas ou desafios públicos; isso significa que o conflito surge como uma forma de estabelecer limites e fronteiras para as autoridades sociais. Neste cenário, tem-se como resultado que a desconfiança interpessoal parece sustentar o uso da violência. / The city of São Paulo recorded high rates of homicide during the 1990s and 2000s. This phenomenon was deeply related with the high levels of urban crime in the late 1970s. In general, the violent crime studies emphasize the impact of unequal distribution of rights, the domain of organized crime, and the state\'s inability to enforce the law and maintain the order. However, there is a lack of literature on the violent crimes as result of interpersonal conflict. This master thesis proposes to move from the macro level toward micro level of analysis, and change the focus from homicide studies into interpersonal conflict studies. The data used were criminal records of murders between 1991 and 1997, gathering in 16 police stations located in the North and West areas of São Paulo; it was selected 30 violent crimes committed in bars. This study also examined the legal understanding of banality. In recent years, certain media discourse has increased around \"trivial reasons\" of violent crimes. It was identified that the banal and futile concepts are manipulated in order to qualify acceptable types of sensibilities and social emotions involved in violent crimes. Lastly, it is examined how offenders, victims and witnesses justify the conflicts and the interpersonal violence outcomes. It was identified that the hostilities is consequence of quarrels or public challenges; it means the conflict arises as a way of setting limits and boundaries for the social authorities. As a result, in this scenario interpersonal distrust seems to sustain the use of violence.