Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Gothenburg, 2008. / Extra t.p. with thesis statement and abstract inserted. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University, December 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. S.)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Jeanne Heitmayer, Florida State University, College of Human Sciences, Dept. of Textiles and Consumer Sciences. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Sept. 18, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 76 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 133-148).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2007. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor: Nancy Nelson-Hodges; submitted to the School of Human Environmental Sciences. Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-112).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, Dept. of Political Science, 2007. / Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references.

Chapter One introduces the field of evolutionary psychology as well as provides a review of factors influencing facial attractiveness. Chapter Two presents empirical evidence that online studies may provide a distorted perspective on cross-cultural face preferences since online samples are not representative of the populations in developing countries. In El Salvador, participants without internet access preferred more feminine men as well as heavier and more masculine women when compared to participants with internet access. One possible explanation for such findings is that the level of harshness in the environment may be influencing preferences. One individual difference that is influenced by environmental harshness is age of menarche. Chapter Three thus provides exploratory evidence that age of menarche also influences masculinity preferences. Chapter Four further examines this environmental harshness hypothesis by repeatedly testing students undergoing intensive training at an army camp. Increases in the harshness of the environment led to an increased male attraction to cues of higher weight in female faces. Such changes in preferences may be adaptive because they allow for more opportunities to form partnerships with individuals who are better equipped to survive. An alternative explanation for the empirical findings in Chapters Two and Four is that familiarity may also influence preferences. Chapter Five tests this familiarity hypothesis by examining the faces of participants in different areas of El Salvador and Malaysia. Rural participants preferred heavier female faces than urban participants. Additionally, the faces of female participants from rural areas were rated as looking heavier. This finding suggests that familiarity may indeed influence attractiveness perceptions. Lastly, Chapter Six draws conclusions from the empirical findings reported in Chapters Two-Five and lists proposals of future research that could further enhance our understanding of what we find attractive.

Both response to intervention (RTI) and recognition and response systems recommend the use of evidence-based teaching strategies and individualized data collection to monitor the students' response to such strategies. In addition to the efficacy of interventions, individual stakeholders should have a voice in which intervention is implemented. Constant prompt delay and progressive prompt delay procedures have been routinely implemented and have been proven to be effective at teaching important skills to a variety populations; however, no objective data has been reported on the stakeholders' preference for such procedures. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relative efficacy of as well as the relative preference for prompt delay procedures. Four preschool children experienced three teaching conditions: constant prompt delay, progressive prompt delay, and a control condition. A multi-element design was used to evaluate the relative efficacy of the prompt delay procedures at teaching pre-academic tasks while a modified concurrent chains arrangement was used to evaluate each child's relative preference for each teaching strategy. The results for efficacy of and preference for prompt delay procedures were idiosyncratic for all participants. These results as well implication of the results are discussed.

Siblings of children who have been diagnosed with autism can play important roles in the lives of their brothers or sisters. Previous literature shows that siblings can effectively change behavior and can increase play interactions. Furthermore, the use of preferred materials may enhance social interactions between the siblings. The purpose of this study was to determine, the effects that material preferences and choices have on sibling social bids and cooperative play during a sibling training program. There were two main objectives. The first objective was to evaluate the effects of teaching with the high preference toy of the neuro-typical sibling during sibling training. The second objective was to determine if the training would produce different effects across four different toy conditions. Measures included social bids made by each of the siblings and cooperative play. Results indicate that teaching with the neuro-typical siblings' high preference toy during sibling training can be an effective method to increase social bids and cooperative play. The results of this study are discussed in the contexts of preference and choice selections, physical environments, motor skills, carry over effects, and participations based on gender.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The influence of books on human behavior has been attested since ancient times. Today books have been advocated as a solution to the difficult problem of combating racial prejudice. Many educators and librarians have recommended the inclusion of children's books with black characters in the school curriculum. It is thought that empathy with a black character in a story may cause a change in attitude toward Blacks. Festinger's research on attitude change through the creation of dissonance lends support to the theory of empathy. Festinger found that involving an individual in an action which disagreed with his attitude was likely to effect a change in attitude. Although much has been written on the influence of books, few experimental studies have been reported. Shirley (1969) documented the kinds of influence from books which high school students report. Litcher and Johnson (1969) found a significant attitude change from the use of multi-ethnic readers. Jackson (1944) concluded that books could be effective in changing racial attitudes, but Carlsen (1948) disagreed. To investigate the effect of reading books with black characters on the racial preferences of white children, a picture test was constructed based on the work of Horowitz (1938). The Race/Activity Decision Criteria Picture Test is designed to measure the degree to which race is used as a criteria for decision-making. Fifty-six children's books with black characters were rated by librarians and teachers on literary quality and ability to foster good race relations. These books were read during class time by 125 fifth grade students in an all white suburban school. All reading was voluntary and was not associated with regular assignments. A posttest was administered and the data was analyzed by a multiple regression analysis system using a computer program which allowed either specified or unspecified ordering of variables. Due to non-linearity of the test scale, the population was divided on the basis of posttest scores into two groups: (a) those who displayed no racial preferences or a bias toward Blacks, and (b) those whose scores indicated a prejudice against Blacks. Results of the analysis indicated that the effect of books on racial preference is not a simple one-to-one relationship. In the Bias/No Preference Group, the greater the number of books read, the less often race was used as a decision-making criteria. For the Prejudiced Group, however, the greater number of books read was associated with higher prejudice scores. Results were significant at .05 level for both groups. The quality of books read as defined in this study was not significantly associated with posttest scores. Specific content of books was significant only for the Bias/No Preference Group. In this group, reading about black characters with socio-economic status was significantly associated at the .01 level with greater bias toward Blacks. Although these findings generally support the theory that books are effective in influencing human behavior and indicate that this effect is cumulative, the implication is clear that, as yet, we do not have sufficient knowledge to make reliable predictions of the effect of particular books on individuals. The relationship is complex and requires further study. It would appear that most schools would be justified in including books with black characters in their curriculum. However, books should not be relied upon to provide the exclusive thrust of a program to alleviate prejudice, especially in communities where extreme prejudice is the norm. / 2031-01-01