Tracking the Evolution of the Companionate Marriage Ideal in Early Modern Comedies

This thesis examines the socially constructed ideal of companionate marriage in Elizabethan and Jacobean England through four dramas by Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, John Fletcher, Thomas Dekker and Thomas Middleton. It probes the question of how these theatrical productions of early modern England fit within or defy the emerging social trends regarding companionate marriage. It uses socioeconomic statuses, religious affiliations, and emerging notions of race as lenses through which to analyze the romantic couples depicted in these plays. The results of this study indicate that, while exact authorial intentions remain unknown, these plays served as proponents of the companionate marriage while dually challenging the persisting restrictive social norms that prevented prospective unions between religiously, socioeconomically, and/or racially divergent individuals

On Binary Codes from Conics in PG(2,q)

Let A be the incidence matrix of passant lines and internal points with respect to a conic in PG(2, q), where q is an odd prime power. In this article, we study both geometric and algebraic properties of the column null space L of A over the finite field of 2 elements. In particular, using methods from both finite geometry and modular presentation theory, we manage to compute the dimension of L, which provides a proof for the conjecture on the dimension of the binary code generated by L

Future Digital Advertising Trends: Finding a Balance Between Privacy and Personalization

As consumers spend more and more time online and using mobile devices, they leave an extensive data trail that can be captured; that information can be used to their benefit but might also be perceived as invasive. Technology advancements, such as data mining, are becoming more sophisticated and are delivering detailed personal information to the advertiser. Retailers, both off and online, such as Target, Safeway, and Amazon, will be inclined to maximize their sales by manipulating the data and targeting individuals. This has not always been the case—in the last twenty years advertising has shifted dramatically with the advent of the Internet and has shown some ability to take advantage of the information so far; this trend will continue exponentially over the next decade. The advertisers, capable of collecting vast amounts of data over a wide range of activities with the help of a middleman such as Google, will need to resist the short-term appeal of over personalization in favor of respecting the privacy—perceived or real—of the consumer, thus balancing the competing interests of the consumer and the advertiser. Without self-restraint, the advertiser will face backlash from an older generation and indifference from a younger, more technologically aware generation

Gendered Image Repair: An Analysis of Gender\u27s Interaction with Image Repair Strategies

This research was designed to examine how transgressor gender and image repair strategies interact to influence favorable perceptions of a transgressor after an image- related crisis. Drawing on the image repair theory, gender performance and double bind, and expectancy violations theory, four hypotheses were proposed. It was predicted that using an image repair strategy would be viewed more favorably (based on levels of acceptability, likability, perceived responsibility, likelihood of repeated offense, and deserved punishment) than not using an image repair strategy. It was also predicted that transgressing men would be viewed with more favorably than transgressing women. Additionally, it was predicted that following one’s gender norms with their image repair statement would be viewed more favorably than violating those norms. A 2 (Transgressor Gender) x 3 (Image Repair Strategy) factorial experiment was conducted to test these hypotheses. Results from a series of two-way ANOVAs revealed that none of the hypotheses were supported. Contrary to what was predicted, transgressors benefited more from not saying anything at all than from employing a defeasibility statement. Additionally, no main effects for transgressor gender were revealed. It was also found that transgressing men who employed defeasibility were viewed as less responsible for their actions than other conditions, and transgressing women who employed bolstering were viewed as less responsible for their actions than other conditions. This study suggests that when studying IRT quantitatively, it is important to consider the external factors that could interact with the strategies’ effects. Keywords: apologia, image repair, gender double bin

When Looking Up Leads to Feeling Down: Situational Moderators of the Effects of Social Comparisons on Social Media

Social media use is ubiquitous, especially among young adults. Negative consequences of social media use has been associated with engaging in upward social comparisons with others on social media. The current paper presents a series of two studies that seek to understand the nuances of social comparisons as they occur while browsing social media. In Study 1 (N = 161) we tested whether upward social comparisons would be less harmful when the comparer focuses on the similarities, rather than differences, with the comparison target. We observed a marginal interaction indicating that when thinking about similarities with the target, upward comparisons were slightly less detrimental to self-evaluations, than when thinking about differences. Study 2 (N = 320) tested other potential moderators of upward social comparisons suggested by traditional theories of social comparison to see if they would apply to a social media context. We predicted when a participant rates the comparison target to be more similar (vs. different) and distant (vs. close) and the domain to be more attainable (vs. less attainable), upward social comparisons will be less harmful to self-evaluations. Neither similarity nor closeness were significant moderators. Multilevel models showed a significant interaction between upward comparisons and attainability on self-evaluations (p \u3c .001). Simple slopes indicated viewing the domain as attainable amplified the harmful effects of upward social comparisons on self-evaluations compared to viewing the domain as less attainable. These results are contrary to our predictions and suggest that traditional theories of social comparisons may not apply to a social media context. We also investigated how the target of the social comparison would impact the experience of the social comparison and its impact on self-evaluations. Results from Study 2 showed that participants who made comparisons with distant others (celebrities/strangers) were more likely to have higher upward social comparison scores, lower levels of similarity and closeness and view the domain as less attainable. These results display when we could expect harmful consequences following making a social comparison with a celebrity or stranger while viewing Instagram, posts. Study limitations and advantages are discussed along with future research to be explored

The Benefits of Outdoor Education Curriculum for Elementary School Students with Nature Deficit Disorder

The benefits of implementing outdoor education curriculum and outdoor learning into the state standards are plentiful, and the consequences of children who do not get the exposure to outdoor learning and activity can be severe. Nature deficit disorder is a term coined by Louv (2008) in his book Last child in the woods describing a child with little to no contact to nature and the outside world around them. Louv (2008) made connections to behavioral and developmental disorders that may have to do with the lack of outdoor exposure in the child’s life. There are countless advantages to implementing outdoor education curriculum in the schools. This capstone examines these advantages through the use of literature review and interviews with professionals who are also advocates for outdoor education curriculum

The War of Unengaged Forces - Superpowers at Sea in an Era of Competitive Coexistence

In this age, the terms war and peace do not suffice to describe the complex realities with which the statesman and the soldier must grapple. Unengaged force warfare is a concept that transcends this difficulty and allows us to examine the critical challenges that face our nation today. The most active frontier in unengaged force warfare at present is at sea, and it is here that the eventual outcome of unengaged force warfare may well be decided

The Effect of Mainstream Media on Body Image and Stress Reactivity in Latina Females

The role of mainstream media in women’s views of female beauty and body image has been well documented. However, few published studies have observed ethnic differences in physiological stress reactivity that may occur from pressures to comply with a particular image of beauty. This study examined whether the exposure to the mainstream ideal body image would negatively affect Latina women’s physiological and psychological functioning, and how their responses differed in comparison to their White counterparts. Participants included college-aged female students from Pitzer College who self-identified as Latina or Caucasian. Participants completed questionnaires assessing, body esteem (MSBRQ-AS; SATAQ; CDFRS), ethnic identity (SEE), state anxiety (STAI-State) and affect (PANAS) prior to and following exposure to Victoria’s Secret or Chrysler automobile commercials. Physiological stress reactivity was assessed through changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as salivary cortisol. 3-way ANOVA tests indicated a significant 2-way interaction between condition and time on participants’ levels of diastolic blood pressure, F(1, 27) = 4.266, MSe = 29.803, p =.049, η2 =.136, as well as ratings of appearance evaluation, F(1,36) = 5.733, MSe = 3.692, p =.022, η2 =.137, and body satisfaction F(1,36) = 4.27, MSe = 4.747, p = .046, η2 =.106. Women who viewed the Victoria’s Secret commercials demonstrated increased levels of diastolic blood pressure and reported lower ratings of body esteem in comparison to women who viewed the Chevy Sonic commercials. Potential trends in anxiety reactivity and the internalization of mainstream female beauty in Latina women following exposure to the stimuli are further discussed

Indoor Source Localization of Radio Frequency Transmitters Using Blind Channel Identification Techniques

Locating transmitters is a research area that is becoming increasingly relevant as technology advances. It is especially useful for determining the location of livestock, drones, keys, phones, tablets, etc. As a result of this push for locating devices, many algorithms have been developed to determine source locations. Most source location algorithms and techniques rely on a line of sight , or a direct path between the source and the receivers to provide accurate results. Indoor environments pose a challenge to locating transmitters due to the many surfaces that allow radio waves to interact (reflect, refract, and generally distort) with them. Because of the effects of the radio wave interactions, a direct path from the transmitter to the receivers may not be possible inside, increasing the difficulty. This problem is further augmented when the transmitter is transmitting an unknown signal in an unknown environment. This research derives algorithms to address these issues. The algorithms are tested via simulations and real-world environmental testing