Browsing by Subject "Social interaction"
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Item Academic integration, social integration, goal and institutional commitment, and spiritual integration as predictors of persistence at a Christian institution of higher education(Texas Tech University, 2002-05) Morris, JasonTinto's Model of Student Departure has been tested in various types of postsecondary institutions. Researcher's have not, however, examined Tinto's model in Christian institutions of higher education. The need for research on student attrition from Christian colleges and universities is motivated by the deficiency in the literature and the following two questions: Is Tinto's model valid at Christian institutions of higher education? Would any additional variables unique to these institutions add to the predictive validity of Tinto's model for use at these particular schools? The purpose of this study is to test three core constructs of Tinto's (1993) Model of Student Departure in a Christian institution of higher education. In addition, this study will add a spiritual integration variable to Tinto's model that could potentially help to better explain retention and attrition at Christian institutions of higher education. The sample for this study consists of the students who completed the Student Information Form, the Institutional Integration Scales, and the spiritual integration measure. These students were tracked for one year, from their initial enrollment in the fall semester of 2000 through the fall semester of 2001. Students were then placed into one of two groups. One group consists of persisters, students who have reenrolled for the fall semester of 2001. The second group is termed withdrawers, students who did not return for the fall 2001 semester. Survey research and quantitative data analysis was utilized to gather information and answer four research questions. The surveys used in this study include the Student Information Form (2000), the Institutional Integration Scales (Pascarella and Terenzini 1980) and a spiritual integration measure (Schreiner 2000). The integration surveys were distributed in the Spring 2001 semester during the twelfth week of classes to first-year students enrolled in a required Bible course. This study found that two variables contained in the Academic Integration construct (student's cumulative G.P.A. and the Academic and Intellectual Development Scale), two variables contained in the Social Integration construct (Peer-Group Interactions Scale and the student's average number of hours per week spent in extra-curricular activities), as well as the constructs of Goal and Intuitional Commitment and Spiritual Integration were significant predictors.Item An analysis of environmental press as perceived by sixth-grade pupils(Texas Tech University, 1967-06) Webb, Doris JNot availableItem An experimental study of the effect of observation on family interaction(Texas Tech University, 1973-05) Allen, Ronald EdwinNot availableItem Attraction to a group as a function of initial interest and initiation severity: a replication(Texas Tech University, 1976-08) Roberts, Samuel JosephNot availableItem Configuration of adolescents' social networks: differences in characteristics and leisure activities(Texas Tech University, 1997-05) McGinnis, Sunny MayAdolescence is recognized as a period of change in the form and focus of interpersonal relationships. Examining the social networks of adolescents has been a popular form of research. However, research has often focused on dyadic relationships or been restricted to specific environments, such as school. This research goes beyond typical research on adolescent social networks that examines simply the size of the networks by an adolescent as important to them. Instead it examines the configuration of networks in which the adolescent is embedded. Adolescents listed the important people in their lives in the categories of parents, adult and young relatives, and nonrelated adults and friends. Four conceptually meaningful network configurations were identified through cluster analysis: a balanced network with average or above number of people in each of the five categories, an isolated network with below average number of people in each of the five categories, a parent dominated network in which parents is the only category with an average or above number of people named, and a parent alienated network in which all categories except parents have an average or above number of people named. The second goal of this study was to identify the characteristics of the adolescents who maintained the various network configurations. Previous research has described the impact of personality characteristics, antisocial attitudes and behaviors and the quality of relationships with parents and with peers on adolescent social relationships. Using a series of MANOVAs or ANOVAs with network configuration as the independent variable parenting style, peer attachment, leisure activities, and adolescent characteristics, such as self-esteem, social competence, deviant behavior, and extroversion/introversion, were examined to determine how these characteristics differed between adolescents with different network configurations. In addition, gender, ethnicity, and community context (urban and rural) were examined. Findings indicated that parenting style, the personal characteristics of social competence and use of drugs, and leisure activities are significantly different for adolescents with varying network configurations. Gender and community context also had significant impact on network configurations.Item Coordination, natural and concocted groups, and dyadic performances(Texas Tech University, 1989-12) Staples, Jane GregoryThe majority of the group Hterature has been generated in a laboratory setting using concocted groups. A large portion of this Hterature is based on the ad hoc laboratory group, the most restrictive of all of the types of concocted groups. Concocted groups are social units that are composed of an arbitrary combination of individuals, previously unacquainted, brought together to participate in an experimental study. In contrast, natural groups are intact social units or systems that exist independent of any research study. The central thmst of this study was to examine the influence of the personal predisposition of Team Task Motivation (TTM) on dyadic performance in natural and concocted groups. Team Task Motivation, a subscale of the Worker Motivation Scale, measures the degree of individual motivation to aid the group in attaining its task. Previous research has demonstrated a positive relationship between I'lM and effective helping among group members. More specifically, groups composed of individuals scoring high on TTM outperformed groups scoring low on TTM. Also, it has been demonstrated that effective helping resulted in increased group productivity in the groups scoring high on TTM. Subsequent smdies have provided inconsistent or partial support for these findings. A total of 90 general psychology subjects and their friends played a series of motorattention performance games designed to differ in the degree of cognitive demand, interdependency, and system stability. Additionally, the task was designed to provide ample rewards or reinforcements for individuals predisposed to prominence seeking or team task motivation. Subjects performed the task with either their friend of with a stranger. The results of this study did not support TTM as a predictor of helping behavior, the correlations between TTM scores and the amount of helping behaviors exhibited were essentiaUy zero. Members of natural dyads exhibited significandy more helping behaviors than members of concocted dyads, but the increased helping did not convert into higher group performances. The results of this study are discussed in the context of other studies involving TTM, helping behavior, and group performance. Finally, recommendations for future research are discussed.Item Daughtering and daughterhood : an explanatory study of the role of adult daughters in relation to mothers(2016-08) Alford, Allison McGuire; Maxwell, Madeline M.; Donovan, Erin; Menchaca, Martha; Vangelisti, AnitaThis study investigated the role of an adult daughter in mid-life, a time in a woman’s life when she has a personal relationship with her mother based upon shared interests more than dependence for care. Using interactional role theory (Turner, 2001), this study explored the understanding a daughter has for her role as an adult daughter in everyday encounters with her mother. Participants in this study described that when in situations that call for daughtering, they enact the adult daughter role. For this study, adult daughter participants (N = 33) ranging in age from 25-45 years old participated in face-to-face interviews to discuss their role as an adult daughter to their mothers. All participants had a living, healthy mother age 70 or younger. From daughters’ discussions of everyday communication with their mothers, layers of meaning were uncovered which related to the adult daughter role. Using role theory as a guide, thematic analysis revealed six themes of meaning. These findings contribute to an understanding of the social construction of an important role, which daughters learn over a lifetime and which they use to communicate within a family. Discussions of daughtering were challenging to participants due to borrowed vocabulary for describing this role, narrow role awareness, and a low valuation of the work of daughtering. When sorting role influences, daughters noted their mothers and a variety of other sources that inform role expectations. This finding prompted a new manner for evaluating daughters as a daughterhood, or community of role players collectively enacting the same role. Finally, participant responses revealed new ways to conceive of the social construction of the adult daughter role and the practice of daughtering and daughterhood, with outcomes including a variety of comportments for performing daughtering. Implications for future research by communication scholars, as well as for practitioners who work with adult daughter-mother pairs, will be presented with other results from this study.Item E-mail communications among people with and without major depressive disorder(2012-08) Baddeley, Jenna L.; Pennebaker, James W.; Beevers, Christopher G.; Beer, Jennifer S.; Hixon, John G.; Rude, Stephanie S.Social interactions affect the onset and maintenance of major depressive disorder (MDD; e.g., Hammen, 2006). However, little research has examined depressed people’s communications in daily life. This dissertation’s primary aim is to test three models of the association between MDD and everyday communication. The disclosure model suggests that people with MDD, particularly if currently depressed, communicate about themselves and their distress. The social disengagement model suggests that people with MDD, particularly if currently depressed, communicate less. The selectivity model suggests that people with MDD, particularly if currently depressed, communicate more negatively only with people with whom they have closer relationships. This dissertation’s second aim is to investigate associations between communication patterns of individuals with MDD and residual depressive symptoms. Sixteen women with MDD and 15 never-depressed women submitted a year’s worth of their e-mails with up to ten correspondents. For participants with MDD the year included at least one month of depression and one month of remission. E-mails were submitted to computerized text analysis. For the primary research question, the study design was conceptualized as a 2x2 between-subjects (MDD vs. never-depressed) x within-subjects (currently depressed vs. not currently depressed) ANOVA missing one cell (never-depressed individuals with currently depression). Data were e-mails nested within correspondents within participants and were analyzed using multi-level regression. For the second research question, OLS regression analyses were used. People with MDD e-mailed their correspondents marginally more frequently when in a depressive episode, suggesting increased efforts at engagement. During episodes, however, participants showed less verbal synchrony with their correspondents. This suggests that despite reaching out more, currently depressed people are less attuned with others. People with major depressive disorder used more positive emotion words and fewer negative emotion words than never-depressed controls. Although there was a general pattern among participants of using more negative emotion words with correspondents with whom they had closer relationships, this tendency was accentuated in depressed individuals in current major depressive episodes. These findings are consistent with the view that individuals – particularly when depressed – regulate aspects of their communication to protect and manage their social relationships.Item Equity theory and friendships in later life(Texas Tech University, 1984-05) Roberto, Karen AThe purpose of the study was to examine the patterns of exchange that exist between older adults and their friends. Using equity theory as the conceptual base, five hypotheses were tested. Variables examined were the amount of distress reported in terms of the overall friend relationship, the helping aspect of the friendship and the affective component of the relationship by those individuals in equitable versus inequitable friendships; equity and friendship satisfaction; and the influence of demographic variables (i.e., gender, age, marital status, education, income, health, and contact with children) on the equity of exchanges between friends. A random sample of 116 white, urban adults, 65 years of age or older were interviewed for this study. Respondents were asked to discuss their relationship with their best friend and one other friend within their support network. Planned comparisons and Pearson correlations were used to test the first four hypotheses. Results provided support for these hypotheses. Older adults who perceived their relationship as equitable, were less distressed about all aspects of their friendships (i.e., overall, helping, affective) than participants who perceived themselves as being in an inequitable friendship. Pearson correlations showed that the more the respondents perceived themselves being overbenefited or underbenefited, the greater amount of distress they reported. In terms of friendship satisfaction, equity considerations seemed to be more important in the case of the "other" friend than for the "best" friend relationship. The fifth hypothesis was tested by means of a stepwise discriminant analysis. Several demographic variables distinguished between the equity of friendships in later life. Specifically, older males were more likely to perceive themselves in equitable friendships than older females. Respondents who reported frequent contact with their children were also more likely to be involved in equitable friendships. While additional research is necessary, equity theory seems to provide a useful conceptualization from which to examine friend relationships in later life.Item Expressive control and sensitivity to others' expression: validation of the Lennox-Wolfe self-monitoring scale(Texas Tech University, 1985-08) Lennox, Richard DonaldNot availableItem Gender differences in social reasoning during peer collaboration(Texas Tech University, 2001-08) Bell, Gloria EvelynResearchers have long recognized that intellectual growth and social experiences are linked in cognitive development (Piaget, 1965; Vygotsky, 1978). Peer collaboration has provided a useful research paradigm in which to explore the effects of social interaction on the developmental process. Differences observed in problem-solving strategies during collaboration on various cognitive tasks have suggested that working with a partner can either facilitate or deter learning depending on the context of the problem and the gender ofthe collaborators (Hill, 1983; Tudge, Winterhoff, & Hogan, 1996). To date, there has been insufficient research using problem-solving tasks in the interpersonal domain to clarify the relationships of social context and gender to social reasoning. The purpose of the present study was twofold: (1) to investigate gender differences in adolescent social reasoning during peer collaboration regarding the resolution of hypothetical interpersonal dilemmas within two social contexts (dating and employment) and (2) to explore differences in communication among pairings of different gender compositions, i.e., two females, two males, or one female and one male. Within a pretest-posttest design, college undergraduates (N - 96, mean age = 18.53, SD = 0.72) were randomly assigned to work either individually at all times or with a partner at the second of three testing sessions. In general, differences in level of reasoning were found by context with participants reasoning at higher levels for dating dilemmas more often than employment dilemmas. Furthermore, collaborative pairs as a group performed better than individuals; however, this was primarily due to the performance of male and mixed-gender dyads, specifically males collaborated at higher levels of reasoning than female collaborators. Male and mixed-gender pairs benefited most from working with partners while reasoning about interpersonal problems within the dating context, whereas female pairs and participants working alone did not. In regard to gender differences in communication, male pairs talked less than female and mixed-gender pairs; however, no gender differences were found in number of interruptions or talk-overs. Gender and use of transactive discussion were found to interact with the level of social reasoning used in both social contextsItem Imagining the scenario: emergency training simulations and embodied action(2015-12) Suy, Melissa Lynne; Streeck, Jürgen; Ballard, DawnaThis thesis is a microanalytic investigation of embodied resources used to complete imaginary emergency scenarios in paramedic simulation training exercises. Emergency simulations present an intriguing site for investigating the process of imagination in that cognitive processes are displayed through human action. I examine training from both a multimodal perspective and also as an embodied cognitive process. I found that the students employ a number of communicative strategies to anchor themselves physically in the imagined space of the scenario. First, I examine how the fictional frame is embedded in the instructional frame, particularly focusing on how the lead student designs utterances in relation to the fictional component of the scenario. I argue that the routine activities serve as scaffolding and recognizable actions throughout the simulation grounding the students physically in the simulation. Secondly, I found that there is never a point in the laboratory exercises where the simulated action becomes automated; rather, the students must continually work at building action in the scenario. I also examine how sensory exploration, specifically looking and touching, allow students to rehearse future embodied action. Lastly, I argue that the students are not only developing intellectual knowledge of treating and stabilizing a patient in the field, they are also training their bodies as the main source of action.Item Interpersonal values and behaviors associated with positive change in one form of encounter groups(Texas Tech University, 1973-05) Deardorff, Charles MelvinNot availableItem Interpersonal values and behaviors associated with positive change in one form of encounter groups(Texas Tech University, 1973-05) Deardorff, Charles MelvinNot availableItem Mechanisms influencing student understanding on an outdoor guided field trip(2009-12) Caskey, Nourah al-Rashid; Richardson, R. H. (Richard Harvey), 1938-Field trips are a basic and important, yet often overlooked part of the student experience. They provide the opportunity to integrate real world knowledge with classroom learning and student previous personal experiences. Outdoor guided field trips leave students with an increased understanding, awareness and interest and in science. However, the benefits of this experience are ambiguous at best (Falk and Balling, 1982; Falk and Dierking, 1992; Kisiel, 2006. Students on an outdoor guided field trip to a local nature park experienced a significant increase in their understanding of the rock cycle. The changes in the pre-field trip test and the post-field trip test as well as their answers in interviews showed a profound change in the students’ understanding and in their interest in the subject matter. The use of the “student’s voice” (Bamberger and Tal, 2008) was the motivation for data analysis. By using the students’ voice, I was able to determine the mechanisms that might influence their understanding of a subject. The central concepts emerging from the data were: the outdoor setting; the students’ interest; the social interaction. From these central concepts, a conceptual model was developed. The outdoor setting allows for the freedom to explore, touch, smell and movement. This, in turn, leads to an increased interest in subject matter. As the students are exploring, they are enjoying themselves and become more open to learning. Interest leads to a desire to learn (Dewey, 1975). In addition to allowing the freedom to explore and move, the outdoor setting creates the condition for social interaction. The students talk to each other as they walk; they have in-depth discourse regarding the subject matter -- with the teachers, each other and with the guides. The guides have an extremely important role in the students’ learning. The more successful guides not only act as experts, but also adjust to the students’ needs and act or speak accordingly. The interconnections of these three concepts-- the outdoor setting, the students’ interest, the social interaction - worked to provide the mechanisms by which the students increased their understanding of the rock cycle.Item Need for privacy and its effect upon interpersonal attraction and interaction(Texas Tech University, 1980-08) Larson, Jeffry HaleThe present study explored the implications of variations in privacy preferences for the quality and style of interpersonal behavior in an initial encounter situation. The influence of situational variations in privacy upon interpersonal behavior was also examined. Past research has shown that people with a high preference for privacy are more introverted than extraverted, logical and analytic rather than sympathetic and feeling, prefer not to include themselves in social groups, and do not express or need affection as much as people with low privacy preferences. It has been theorized that people with a high need for privacy have low self esteem and a poor self concept and hence need more privacy in which to develop a sense of self and allow for self evaluation. Hence, it was hypothesized that: (a) persons with a high preference for privacy are less attracted to and interact less with a stranger than people with a low preference; and, (b) differences between privacy preference groups in attraction and interaction are greater in a situation which places high rather than low demands upon privacy. The research design was a 2 (privacy preference) by 2 (situational variation in privacy) by 2 (gender) design. Situational demands upon privacy were varied by means of a self disclosure task in which subjects discussed relatively intimate or nonintimate topics. The findings showed that for those with high compared with low privacy preferences, interaction with a stranger was rated as significantly more awkward, tense, and unnatural. High privacy individuals verbally reinforced speaking by the strangers significantly less than low privacy individuals. Trends on the other behavioral measures were consistent with these findings. There were no group differences on the measures of interpersonal attraction. The results of this study support previous research which has suggested that people with a high preference for privacy may interact less and be less comfortable with a stranger than people with a low preference. No support was found for the proposition that intimate self disclosure significantly alters attraction to or interaction with a stranger more so for individuals with high versus low preferences for privacy. The implications of these findings for relationship development and interpersonal skills training were discussed. Further research should be devoted to measuring the effects of other kinds of situational demands. It is also important to empirically determine the relationship between self-esteem and need for privacy. Finally, research is needed to explore the antecedents of privacy preferences and to determine how they change over time.Item Others' evaluations of communication competence as related to self evaluations of gender orientation and social style versatility(Texas Tech University, 1985-08) Seiffert, Mark AlanNot availableItem Remotivation therapy: a test of a major assumption of the treatment with domiciled, geriatric veterans(Texas Tech University, 1977-05) Greenfield, David Sherman,Not availableItem Second language learning in an online computer game: insights from theories of social interaction, practice, and nonlinear dynamics(2007-12) Reese, Curtis Lee, 1971-; Schallert, Diane L.; Syverson, Margaret A.Research in second language acquisition has typically focused on classroom and laboratory settings. This study explores second language use in a non-classroom setting. It is based on research from divergent fields including theories of social interaction from sociology, theories of practice from anthropology, and nonlinear dynamics from the physical sciences. This study is a qualitative study, which employs both ethnographic and discourse analytic methods. The study examines native and non-native English speaker interactions on a MUD, a text-based online game. Data was collected for one year. The data for analysis consist primarily of logs of online interactions. The major conclusion of this study was that individuals acquire language appropriate to a particular environment by interacting with others in that environment. As individuals come to an environment and strive towards particular non-linguistic goals, they necessarily interact with others in the environment. As they do, they create shared ways of interacting. Through interaction, they refine the ways in which they speak. By employing multiple perspectives to guide the analysis, new insights into second language use and interaction can be obtained. This broadens our understanding of second language use in non-classroom settings. Implications for pedagogy in foreign language education are discussed.Item Social network variables related to marital satisfaction(Texas Tech University, 1983-12) Hood, C. JeffersonThis study investigated the correlation of marital satisfaction with two network variables: proportion of kin to nonkin and quality of network exchanges. It was hypothesized that aflective gives and receives would be significantly related to marital satisfaction for women and that instrumental gives and receives would be significantly related to marital satisfaction for men. It was further hypothesized that women and men would differ significantly on these variables and that the proportion of kin to nonkin in the network would be significantly higher for women than for men. While the hypotheses were net confirmed, strong support was found for a curvilinear relationship between marital satisfaction and the network variables which diluted the power of the correlations. The hypotheses concerning the differential relationship of the quality of network gives and receives with marital satisfaction were confirmed when the nondistressed group was examined separately.