Browsing by Subject "Mediation"
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Item Acceptance and interpersonal functioning: testing mindfulness models of empathy(2009-08) Hoopes, Jonathan Bert; McCarthy, Christopher J.A study on the relationship of mindfulness to empathy was conducted with undergraduate students at a large southwestern university. Previous studies suggest that mindfulness may be related to empathy, but are inconclusive due to measurement and methodological limitations. A mindfulness construct that includes axioms related to intention, attention, and attitude is suggested for researching empathy, along with statistical models that include mediation. A multifactored measure of mindfulness was hypothesized to predict perspective taking and empathic concern empathy components, which in turn would mediate the relationship of mindfulness facets to individual and interpersonal outcomes. Study results suggest a relationship of mindfulness to perspective taking, but not to empathic concern. Results from the mediation procedures were not supportive of the theorized role of empathy in relation to mindfulness on individual and interpersonal outcomes. Implications and limitations to the study design and theory are discussed.Item Bayesian estimation of a longitudinal mediation model with three-level clustered data(2015-12) Israni, Anita; Beretvas, Susan Natasha; Hersh, Matthew; Pituch, Keenan; Roberts, Gregory; Whittaker, TiffanyLongitudinal modeling allows researchers to capture changes in variables that take time to exert their effects. Furthermore, incorporating mediation into a longitudinal model allows for researchers to test causal inferences about, for example, how an independent variable might affect growth in an outcome variable through growth in a mediating variable. In scenarios in which multiple variables are measured over time, the parallel process model can be used to model the inter-relationships among the measures’ trajectories where both processes are modeled to have their own separate but related growth parameters. The hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) framework can be used to model a parallel process model and allows for easy extensions to handle multiple levels and non-hierarchical data, such as cross-classified or multiple membership data structures, in clustered data. This study assessed a three-level parallel process model couched in the context of longitudinal mediation where treatment was assigned at the cluster level, matching a longitudinal cluster randomized trial design. The treatment’s effect on growth in an outcome is modeled as mediated by the growth in a mediating variable at the cluster and individual level, resulting in a cross-level and cluster-level mediated effect. A simulation and real data analysis study were conducted using a fully Bayesian analysis. In the simulation study, the following four factors were manipulated to assess the recovery of the parameters of interest: mediated effect size, random effects variance component values, number of measurement occasions, and number of clusters. Overall, relative parameter bias and statistical power improved for higher values for each of the four factors. The cross-level mediated effects were less biased and had greater statistical power than the cluster-level mediated effects. For the mediated effects that were truly zero, coverage rates based on the highest posterior density intervals showed mostly acceptable rates for the cross-level mediated effect and when path b was zero paired with a non-zero path a for the cluster-level effect. For conditions with a true value of zero for the cluster-level mediated effect with a path a of zero, the cluster-level coverage rates provided over-coverage. Results are discussed along with clarification of study limitations and suggestions for future research. Recommendations for applied researchers are also noted.Item Capabilities, Configurations, and Leveraging Strategies: an Investigation of the Leveraging Process of Resource Orchestration(2014-08-21) Boss, David SResource orchestration research has focused primarily on aspects associated with the structuring and bundling of resources to form capabilities. However, questions remain regarding the theoretical and empirical underpinnings of the leveraging process, particularly as it relates to the types of capabilities needed to form capability configurations that are coordinated and deployed. Further, principles of configuration theory have yet to be applied to the resource-based view of the firm. Herein, I propose a study to (1) conceptualize and operationalize specific firm-level capabilities, (2) draw upon configuration theory to explain how these capabilities are coordinated into capability configurations in preparation for the deployment of specific leveraging strategies, and (3) examine the relationship between leveraging strategy and firm performance. I propose a typology of capability configuration that varies in the type of capability configurations coordinated based on different alternatives of leveraging strategies. Using data from the National Basketball Association, I find that strategies mediate the relationship between capabilities and performance. This study utilizes the theoretical tenants of the resource-based view of the firm to extend our understanding of capabilities, capability configurations, and leveraging strategies.Item Collaborative information technology moderation in dynamic teamwork with team member departure(2010-05) Keskin, Tayfun; Jarvenpaa, S. L. (Sirkka L.); Chircu, Alina M.; Saar-Tsechansky, Maytal; Anderson Jr., Edward G.; Lewis, KyleThe objective of this dissertation study is to provide the theoretical foundation for collaborative information technology moderation on team performance and give empirical evidence to support this relationship. The model provided in this study is supported by analytical proofs for the proposed hypotheses to define relationships among constructs in this research including departure (reduction in the number of team members), collaborative information technology functionality, transactive memory strength, and team performance. This research offers a theory that utilizes transactive memory systems (TMS) to examine the departure problem. The main research question is: Can collaborative information technologies (CIT) alleviate negative effects of departure? The theory in this study is structured around the indicators of TMS: specialization, coordination, and credibility. Findings showed that CIT functionality level plays a role in enhancing the group performance. This role is not direct but instead, is a moderation effect that alleviates the negative departure impact. In absence of departure, CIT impact can be confusing as it can be either positive or negative. My analytical results explain why information systems literature has had conflicting arguments on the role of technology. I propose that particular dynamic events and incidents, such as employee departure, help us understand the impact of CIT more clearly. Moreover, I employ transactive memory theory to explain how individuals develop and exchange knowledge in a group and how skills and knowledge can be lost due to departure. I also explain why and how team performance benefits from CIT when departure occurs.Item Conflict mediation discourse examined through a Girardian lens : weapons and wounds in conflict talk(2012-05) Green, Erik William; Maxwell, Madeline M.; Browning, Larry D.; Dailey, Rene M.; Vangelisti, Anita L.; Richardson, Frank C.Mediation promises a way for conflicting parties to address differences and reach an agreement to settle their dispute. This study looks at mediation discourse of five cases from a university conflict resolution center through the lens of Girard’s (1977) theory of mimetic desire. Girard (1977) suggests that we are all in a pattern of mimesis. Antagonism that is prevalent in conflict develops, in Girard’s view, from the cycle of desire when one person wants an object and another person copies that desire for the object. The two parties quickly forget the object, but antagonism emerges as the mimetic desire continues. Girard argues parties have a tendency to place blame on a scapegoat to break the antagonism pattern. Alternatively, in her application of Girard’s theory, Cobb (1997, 2003, 2010a, 2010b) advocates a social constructionist perspective where disputants work on turning thin conflict stories into thicker ones to break the pattern. This project addresses a need for research on cycles of antagonism in discourse constructed by disputants during real mediation sessions. Knowing how disputants construct discourse lends insight into how people handle their most challenging interpersonal problems. The analysis of discourse through the guiding frameworks of conflict tactics, production format, and tenor of discourse sheds light on how disputants construct perpetuated mimicked antagonism and how they break the pattern. Additionally, findings highlight the emergence of weapons and wounds in the discourse suggesting that communicative violence is constructed whether or not there was actual physical violence. Components of thin conflict narratives are evident in findings from all five cases. Yet, while two cases are characterized by discourse of perpetuated mimicked antagonism, three represent a break in that pattern without placing blame on a scapegoat or constructing a thicker conflict narrative. The distinctions between a perpetuated and broken cycle are unpacked through the discussion of: a) animator-only position; b) indirectness and presumptive attribution; and c) shift in footing between talking to the other disputant and the mediators. This project provides a more nuanced understanding of the Girardian perspective relating to conflict mediation to contribute to the extant literature on conflict discourse and mediation practice.Item An evaluation of the merits of mandatory mediation in federal government contracting(2011-12) Smith, Christopher P., M. of Public Affairs; Wilson, Robert Hines; Bacon, Kevin; Evans, Angela M; Nelson, Steven DTraditionally, parties to a government contract have sought administrative or judicial review to resolve disputes; however, appeals to these courts are costly and may take years to reach a conclusion. Congress has encouraged the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution methods to resolve disputes arising in federal government contracting. Alternative Dispute Resolution includes a broad range of techniques, including mediation; however, use of Alternative Dispute Resolution to resolve disputes in contracting has focused on arbitration. Arbitration is the Alternative Dispute Resolution method most similar to a trial. Attorneys largely lead the resolution of these contractual disputes given their expertise in contract law. This expertise in contract law as well as comfort and familiarity with the litigation process may encourage attorneys to select arbitration over other means of Alternative Dispute Resolution that may be more beneficial to all parties. "Lawyers bred in litigation may not realize when one or more of the techniques in the ADR procedural array may be far preferable to court litigation, and they may take an unnecessarily narrow view of their clients' interests" (Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice, 2001). "Arbitration has become expensive and time consuming because of increasing demands for discovery (a process through which both parties exchange information prior to an administrative or judicial hearing), which results in an unintended consequence of participants not fully engaging in Alternative Dispute Resolution processes. The increased costs of arbitration associated with the discovery process encourages disputants to forgo investing in Alternative Dispute Resolution methods and proceed directly to administrative or judicial hearings where the parties can get a final ruling on the merits of the case with limited appeals options. If Alternative Dispute Resolution is to fulfill its original mandate or promise, parties must find resolution before the parties even get to arbitration. To encourage a fuller exploration of other Alternative Dispute Resolution methods, federal contracts should include mandatory dispute avoidance measures and mediation. Mediation should be required before parties can proceed with a grievance or a lawsuit.Item Long-term outcomes of child protection mediation on permanency for children in foster care(2010-08) Madden, Elissa Eichel; Schwab, A. James; McRoy, Ruth G.; Baumann, Donald; Busch-Armendariz, Noel; Travis, Dnika; Bryant, CynthiaDuring the past two decades, court and child welfare agency officials have begun to view the use of mediation in child protection cases as a logical and cost-effective approach to finding safe and mutually agreeable solutions to cases in a timely manner so that permanency can be established more quickly for children. While those who support the use of child protection mediation generally believe that the mediation process has a positive influence on permanency outcomes; few studies have attempted to examine the accuracy of these claims. Utilizing participant survey data from an evaluation of a pilot child protection mediation program implemented in 43 Texas counties, as well as case-level administrative data from Child Protective Services (CPS), the present study sought to address gaps in the existing literature by more closely examining the association between child protection mediation and permanency outcomes for children in foster care. In addition, this study examined the impact of parental engagement with the mediation process on permanency outcomes. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) was used to match 315 mediated cases with 315 non-mediated cases that were resolved through the traditional adversarial process (N=630). Descriptive bivariate analysis indicated that mediated cases varied significantly from non-mediated cases on several of the observed characteristics. Furthermore, the findings of this study indicate that neither participation in mediation nor parental engagement in the mediation process had a discernable effect on whether permanency was achieved or on children’s final placement outcomes. Interestingly, the use of mediation, as well as higher levels of parental engagement were both found to be associated with increased time to permanency. While the findings were somewhat counterintuitive, the results of this study suggest that the phenomena of permanency may be better explained not by one or two specific factors, but rather a combination of child, family, agency, court, and community factors that work together, and in some instances against each other, to influence the final permanency outcome. The findings of this study underscore the difficulty in measuring the impact of a single intervention on outcomes likely affected by a multitude of competing factors.Item Looking beyond the visual: considering multi-sensory experience and education with video art in installation(2010-05) Spont, Marya Helen; Bolin, Paul Erik, 1954-; Mayer, Melinda M.This study problematizes how the history, theory, and practice of art education (as documented) have predominantly focused on visually-based artworks and on visual aspects of other, multi-sensory artworks. I posit that existing pedagogical approaches become particularly limiting when addressing contemporary artworks that engage multiple senses and question how art educators might adapt such paradigms to consider individual learners’ multi-sensory experiences—particularly, aural, bodily, and spatial, as well as visual, experiences—as they operate in relation to video art in installation. To offer a point of reference for subsequent discussion, I narrate and interpret my own multi-sensory experience of Krzysztof Wodiczko’s "...OUT OF HERE: The Veterans Project" (2009), and then situate both visual and non-visual aspects of my experience in relation to various possible experiences of time, still and changing images, sound, the static or mobile body, other bodies, and space. By synthesizing and building upon recent scholarly literature pertaining to interpretation, multi-sensory and bodily experience, and learner-centered pedagogy, I consider theoretical and practical implications for teaching and learning with video art in installation, and recommend art educators’ mediation through creating communities of questioning, listening, and “speaking with,” in addition to looking. Throughout this study, I argue that encouraging learners to interpret their individual bodily and sensory experiences of artworks should be considered an essential part of the process of making meaning of those artworks in art education environments and, more importantly, of the process of helping learners to become more critically aware of their own sensory experiences in the world.Item Need for closure and mediation: effects of epistemic motivation on strategy perseverance and hypothesis testing(Texas Tech University, 2001-05) Logan, Chris R.A. W. Kruglanski developed the construct of need for (nonspecific) closure (NFC) as part of his theory of lay epistemics to account for individual differences in motivation to reach conclusions quickly. The present research investigated individual differences in NFC in the context of mediation (process of a neutral third party assisting two parties in conflict to reach consensus). Two studies were conducted to examine the influence of NFC on mediators' choices of strategies and tactics. In Study 1, Introductory Psychology students participated in a computer simulated mediation. The mediation strategies of the participants were largely unrelated to NFC. However, some findings supported the hypotheses. The high (versus low) NFC participants did demonstrate a truncated confidence range. Also, the decisiveness subscale of the NFC scale was significantly correlated with the strategy of pressing. The integration strategy was not significantly correlated with scores on the NFC scale, but categorizing (via median split) the mediators as high and low NFC resulted in a significant difference in integration as tested by a multivariate analysis. The low (versus high)NFC participants were more likely to use the integrating strategy. For Study 2, practicing mediators at the South Plains Association of Governments Dispute Resolution Center completed a mailed survey. Again, the NFC constmct was not associated with differences in mediation style. The more decisive mediators were more likely to use the strategy of pressing than less decisive mediators. Lawyers were more likely to use an evaluative style than non-lawyers. Mediators who adopted a broad perspective in mediation were more likely to take an eclectic approach than more narrowly focused mediators. Although the NFC construct as a whole was not related in either study to differences in mediation style, the decisiveness subscale was related to mediator style. The results also supported the eclectic nature of many of the mediators.Item Persuasion strategies for litigators and negotiators : what’s the difference?(2013-12) Ahmed, Jessica Amber; McGlone, Matthew S., 1966-Persuasion scholars have documented the use of compliance-gaining messages in both negotiation and negotiation. The extant research offers suggestions for litigators and negotiators, but fails to compare the methods of persuasion in the two circumstances in order to advise attorneys and clients which communication messages to employ in the different contexts. The present study explores differences in use of 7 common compliance-gaining message strategies (“It's Up To You”, “This Is The Way Things Are”, “Equity”, “Benefit (Other)”, “Bargaining”, and “Cooperation”; Kellerman, 2004) in separate negotiation and litigation cases. Findings indicate that “This Is The Way Things Are” messages were more frequent in litigation than negotiation, but “Cooperation” messages were more common in negotiation than litigation. No other significant differences in strategy frequency across the different contexts were found. These results indicate that some differences exist between the messages used in negotiation and litigation and that future research should investigate what other messages may be used differently in the two contexts.Item The relationship between self-compassion and disordered eating behaviors : body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, and contingent self-worth as mediators(2011-12) Finley-Straus, Angela Danielle; Neff, Kristin; Bigler, Rebecca; Drum, Dave; Falbo, Toni; Rochlen, AaronThe concept of self-compassion has been gathering interest for researchers in recent years, as it appears to offer an array of benefits to wellbeing. This study investigated the potential role of self-compassion as a protective factor against disordered eating behaviors. It also examined the mediating roles of three potential variables: body dissatisfaction, perfectionism and contingent self-worth. Given modern representations of the female ideal, failure to achieve or adequately conform to such standards often poses psychological challenges for women and girls. Self-compassion encompasses kind, mindful self-treatment and may be an ideal protective factor against disordered eating. It has also been linked with lower body dissatisfaction, maladaptive perfectionism, and contingent self-worth. The present study found that dissatisfaction with one’s body, as well as a tendency to judge one’s personal worth based on appearance fully mediated the relationship between self-compassion and both restrained and emotional disordered eating respectively. Therefore, a self-compassionate attitude may serve as a protective factor against engaging in disordered eating vis-à-vis strengthening young women’s abilities to look at their bodies in a more compassionate and unconditionally accepting way.Item Strength of religious faith and positive coping behaviors : testing a mediation model(2010-05) Shah, Monique Mohit; McCarthy, Christopher J.; Cokley, KevinThe purpose of the proposed study is to examine the relationships among the strength of college students’ religious faith and positive coping behaviors (religious and non-religious) and their subsequent effects on physical and psychological well-being, perceived stress, and life satisfaction. Research has shown strength of faith to be positively associated with both mental health and life satisfaction, which in turn, are often related to better health (Larson et al., 1992; Ellison, 1991). Positive religious and non-religious coping behaviors have also been shown to have similar relationships with the aforementioned outcomes (Koenig et al., 2001). The potential mediating relationships between the variables will be tested with the multiple regression methods outlined by Baron and Kenny (1986).Item 'Talk about Conflict': Understanding Interpretive Repertoires in Community Mediation(2011-10-21) Schaefer, Zach A.While many studies investigate the mediation styles enacted during conflict resolution, relatively few of them discuss the communicative processes through which discursive structures are reproduced. This dissertation is a case study illustrating how the duality of structure operates. The purpose of this dissertation is (a) to reveal the discursive resources that community mediators use, (b) to demonstrate how mediators assemble their discursive resources to form a community of practice, and (c) to explore power relations between attorneys and mediators. To understand these issues, I conducted an ethnographic study at a community mediation center employing 25 volunteer mediators. Over 330 hours of participant observations and 41 interviews were completed. Results demonstrated that mediators relied on four interpretive repertoires during mediation: Cultural Competence, Volunteer Pride, Parenting Norms, and Business Professional(ism). They used these repertoires to navigate the tenuous and emotional mediation process. The repertoires provided the mediators with a degree of discursive flexibility in constructing and controlling the immediate situation, and the repertoires were enacted to serve multiple purposes. Further, the extemporaneous engagement of issues, emotions, and discursive resources was an essential skill that was cultivated only over time and with practice. Results also showed that the mediators assembled various repertoires in a number of ways including informal conversations, co-mediations, conference attendance, and organizational meetings. Analysis suggested that the institutional knowledge and discourses provided through formal learning was of secondary importance to developing personal repertoires by mediating as often as possible. In addition, because of the organizing practices of the mediators and the ad hoc nature of the organization, the organizational form of the mediation center was a community of practice. Finally, results found that the power struggles between attorneys and mediators centered on trying to define the mediation situation using different discursive resources. Establishing control of the environment and working the process were the two main goals of mediators, and the more they took ownership of these goals the more often the conflicts settled. This dissertation suggests that taking control of the mediation process is the first step to empowering the participants and achieving a workable mediated settlement.Item The relationship between motor skill proficiency, athletic identity, and physical activity level among adolescents(2012-12) Manalo, Marcusjarwin; Roncesvalles, Maria N. C.; Hart, Melanie A.; Lochbaum, MarcThis study aimed to determine the strength of relationships between motor skill proficiency (MSP), athletic identity (AI), and physical activity (PA) level while considering gender differences. Understanding these relationships would help design strategies that motivate children and adolescents to be active across the lifespan. Ninety students (aged 11-14 years; 45 boys, 45 girls) from J. T. Hutchinson Middle School (Lubbock, Texas) completed two questionnaires, the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale and the Physical Activity Questionnaire, to gauge AI and PA respectively. To assess MSP, the Movement Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition was administered. Bootstrapping method was used to analyze simple mediation. The results revealed that AI mediates the relationship between MSP and PA. However, separate analyses between genders reflected a clear dichotomy. The significant mediating effect of AI was found only among boys but not among girls. Among boys, motor skillfulness (MSP) influenced self-perception as an athlete (AI), which then influenced the propensity to engage in an active lifestyle (PA). On the other hand, among girls, neither athletic “sense” (AI) nor involvement in activity (PA) appears to be influenced by motor skillfulness (MSP). The extant differences between genders suggest different strategies in promoting activity. However, the strong association between AI and PA for both genders highlights the important role of self-perceptions in attaining active lifestyle. Interventions should target shaping positive perceptions through skill improvement to encourage more girls or inactive adolescents (boys/girls) to participate in sport/activity.