Theses and Dissertations

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Open Access
Legibility of serif and sans serif type faces in computer displays
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 1990) Williams, Mark Allen, author; Tharp, Martha P., advisor; Valbrecht, Vicki, committee member; Zimmerman, Donald E., committee member
Studies of type faces printed on paper have generally found minimal legibility differences between the many type faces. Modem computers are capable of displaying many of the same type faces available to printers, but few studies have looked at the legibility of these electronically displayed type faces. This study considers whether type faces with serifs are more legible than those without serifs when displayed on IBM PS/2 8513 monitors, when all other legibility variables are experimentally controlled. An experiment compared subjects' reading rates for one text set in serif type and one set in sans serif type. Subjects timed themselves as they read two 600-700 word texts from the computer monitors and answered comprehension questions. Variables of subject age, prior use of computers, vision, and use of corrective lenses were addressed. Analysis of data showed no significant difference in the reading rates of the two type faces. Reading rates for experimental treatments were not significantly different than those for the control, but were significantly different than each other. The variance in the experiment is thus caused by variables other than type face. Uncontrolled variables in experimental design and laboratory set-up appear to have overwhelmed any type face induced effect that may have been present. Further, better controlled experiments are needed to test the appropriateness of type face for computer displays.
Open Access
The continued adoption of telecommuting by technical writers: evaluating the impact of economic recession and the events of September 11, 2001
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2004) Hallmark, Bruce Thomas, author; Long, Marilee, advisor; Switzer, Jamie Sneider, committee member; Hopkins, Willie E., committee member
This study gathered information, through in-depth interviews with eight technical writers, about the perceived attributes of telecommuting. Rogers' diffusion of innovation theory provided a model for understanding the process by which innovations (e.g., technologies, ideas, and practices-such as telecommuting) are adopted or rejected. Participants were asked 34 questions about the five perceived attributes of innovations (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability) as they related to telecommuting. The effects of the U.S. economic recession, which began in 2001 and hit the high-technology industry especially hard, and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, were also looked at as factors that could influence the continued adoption of telecommuting. Based on the results of the interviews, participants reported all relative advantages (e.g., more time with family, flexible work schedule) and disadvantages (e.g., social isolation, over working) identified in the literature review, in addition to network connectivity problems, which seven participants routinely encountered when working off-site. Telecommuting was reported by participants to be widely compatible with the cultures of their companies, it addressed many personal needs of participants (e.g., higher productivity, personal flexibility), and participants said their work was valued equally with that of their coworkers. Participants reported that the complexity of telecommuting was low, the trialability was high, and observability was enhanced by participants who occasionally switched the days they telecommuted, maintained good communication with coworkers and supervisors, and who produced quality work products. The desirability of telecommuting was not affected by economic factors, and the majority of participants were not concerned about workplace terrorism in the United States. When deciding whether to continue telecommuting, participants indicated that neither the economy nor reactions to September 11, 2001, were factors used by them or their employers. Participants unanimously believed that telecommuting had substantially more benefits than working full time in their primary offices, and they saw it as a viable way to balance the demands of their personal and professional lives. Access to the same range of work options enjoyed by regular employees was reported by the two contract or temporary workers in the study. But regardless of employment status, formal agreements or work contracts did not govern most telecommuting arrangements, which is an oversight that could easily leave both parties vulnerable to a host of problems. This informal approach potentially relegates telecommuting to the status of a work style rather than a legitimate business strategy. Recommendations for further study are included.
Open Access
Health promotion strategies among practitioners in three settings: the role of directionality and balance
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Strongin, Dana Elizabeth, author; Hallahan, Kirk, advisor; Long, Marilee, committee member; Broadfoot, Kirsten J., committee member
Twelve in-depth interviews were conducted with health promotion practitioners in northern Colorado to examine their reliance on two-way versus one-way communication (direction) and symmetrical versus asymmetrical communication (balance) to develop public information/public relations campaigns. The study contrasted strategies used by communicators working for nonprofit, hospital, and government organizations, including their perspectives about how other practitioners strategize. Contrary to expectations, the interviews revealed that practitioners in all three venues heavily relied on two-way symmetrical strategies, although they were all users of one-way communication. When discussing their perceptions, interviewees said colleagues working for organizations like theirs shared commonalities such as barriers to choosing campaign strategies; they said practitioners in other types of organizations have different barriers but more resources. The study revealed four key implications for practitioners. First, they can use creative methods, rather than depend on funding, to implement two-way strategies. Second, they should utilize audience members to spread messages to peers. Third, they can make small changes to add more symmetrical communication. Fourth, they should consider entering into more partnerships. These findings suggest that when practitioners learn what their colleagues are doing, they can create more effective campaigns, which ultimately lead to healthier communities.
Open Access
Gatekeeping in agriculture publications: agriculture editors' uses of information sources and channels
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Talley, Rebecca Suzanne, author; O'Keefe, Garrett, advisor; Zimmerman, Don, committee member; Irlbeck, Nancy, committee member
Agriculture producers have had a long-standing relationship with trade publications, turning to these sources for information that is used to make decisions in their production management, in turn affecting the entire multi-billion dollar industry in the United States. Editors of these trade publications act as gatekeepers of the information that is published, allowing information into the publication or excluding it. Ultimately, this has an impact on the information that reaches agriculture producers and has an overall affect on the agriculture industry. This study examined the criteria agriculture editors value in sources, those sources that are most used and most preferred and why, those channels that are most used and most preferred and why, and if a source' s channel use affects the use of that source' s information. Results indicated that agriculture editors put a high value on sources that provided accurate, unbiased information and were easily accessed. Due in part to these criteria, editors rated sources that are publicly funded higher than most of those that are privately funded as most used and most preferred sources. Editors also indicated that e-mail was the most used and preferred information channel due to ease and efficiency, with the majority feeling that the information channel a source delivered information through influenced the use of that source' s information. Findings from this study indicate that sources may be able to push information to agriculture editors, and ultimately to publication, by conforming to those criteria that editors value and by delivering information through their preferred information channels.
Open Access
Heuristic-systematic processing of environmental messages: promoting green initiatives to Colorado ski resort visitors
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Stonehouse, Taylor, author; Christen, Cindy, advisor; Lacy, Michael, committee member; Champ, Joseph, committee member
This study examined the effects of environmental advertising by Colorado ski resorts on individuals' decisions to ski at those resorts. By applying Chaiken’s (1987) Heuristic Systematic Model of Persuasion and Dunlap and Van Liere’s (1978) New Environmental Paradigm, the researcher attempted to investigate an individual’s cognitive processes, along with the effects of their preexisting levels of environmental concern, when processing ski resort advertisements emphasizing environmental initiatives. A survey questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample of 578 visitors at the Buttermilk resort (of Aspen Skiing Company), which is a company with many environmental initiatives; and Crested Butte Mountain Resort and Copper Mountain Ski Resort, which are companies with fewer environmental initiatives. After responding to questions regarding environmental concerns from the NEP scale, participants were exposed at random to one of three experimentally manipulated ski resort advertisements, which contained the same design, photographs and resort logos. However, messages were manipulated to emphasize environmental initiatives, affordability, or a mixture of the two messages. This study found that after exposure to an environmental advertisement, participants with high levels of environmental concern were found to be no more likely to list the environmental message before the heuristic cues. Consistent with the HSM, however, this study’s results indicated that participants with low environmental concern were more likely to remember the heuristic cues than the environmental message. Participants with higher levels of environmental concern were found to remember the environmental messages before the heuristic cues in the mixed advertisement, but no significant relationship was found between participants’ levels of environmental concern and the order in which they recalled the items from the different advertisements. Finally, this study found that participants with higher levels of environmental concern indicated that they were more likely to return to a resort after exposure to an advertisement promoting the resort’s environmental efforts. These results together illustrate the importance of a person’s motivation to scrutinize environmental advertisements. Furthermore, the location and complexity of these advertisements are key considerations for ski resorts wanting to promote their environmental efforts.
Open Access
Framing female candidates for office: a comparison of newspaper coverage of the 2008 and 2009 Kuwaiti parliamentary elections
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Alghaith, Shaikhah, author; Christen, Cindy T., advisor; Rouner, Donna, committee member; Anderson, Karrin Vasby, committee member
The way newspapers framed their news coverage may have influenced the perceptions of the Kuwaiti female candidates for office. This study examined if the Kuwaiti female candidates who ran unsuccessfully in 2008 but were elected in the 2009 parliamentary election were framed differently in the 2008 and 2009 news coverage. It looked at and compared the frames that were used by the Kuwaiti press in 2008 and 2009 to see if there was any association between the way female candidates were framed and the two different election results. A qualitative content analysis was used to identify the way Kuwaiti newspapers framed Kuwaiti women candidates. Using a census sample of news articles from three Kuwaiti newspapers, a comparison was done between the frames used in the coverage of the 2008 and 2009 Kuwaiti parliamentary elections. The results of this study showed that Kuwaiti female candidates received more newspaper coverage in 2009 than 2008. Most of the frames used by the Kuwaiti newspapers when covering female candidates occurred in both 2008 and 2009 coverage. iii More positive associations were used in the 2009 coverage of female candidates. Kuwaiti newspapers framed women candidates with gender-specific frames and were mostly used favorably. Kuwaiti women candidates were framed as agents of change in Kuwaiti parliament more frequently in the 2009 election coverage. In this study, framing theory explained the selections of frames that were used for the female candidates and the positive ways they were directed whereas priming explained the relationship between the positive attributions that were used by the newspapers’ coverage of female candidates and the result of the 2009 election, where women candidates won seats in the Kuwaiti parliament. The readers may have been primed by the positive frames used for women candidates in 2009 when deciding whom to vote for.
Open Access
Motivating environmentally responsible behavior: an examination of message appeals from the reasonable person model
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Buczynski, Elizabeth M., author; Christen, Cindy, advisor; Bright, Alan, committee member; O'Keefe, Garrett, committee member
This study operationalized a new model of environmentally responsible behavior as message appeals and tested its utility in predicting intention to reduce consumption of petroleum-based plastic shopping bags. The Reasonable Person Model (RPM) of environmentally responsible behavior hypothesizes that a mix of self-interest, altruism, personal norms, desirable choices, and participatory problem solving are the best predictors of behavior. This study employed a posttest-only experimental design to test the relative effectiveness of appeals to altruism, self-interest, and a combined RPM appeal to self-interest and multiple desirable choices among undergraduate students at Colorado State University. Appeals were presented in the form of written messages and effectiveness of each appeal was measured as expressed intentions. While the appeals used were unable to influence participant intentions to engage in the target behavior in a statistically significant manner, this study confirmed that the level of importance participants place on environmental protection was a significant predictor of intentions to perform the suggested environmentally responsible behavior. These results were used to re-examine recommendations from past theoretical literature about how to craft effective environmental appeals and messages.
Open Access
Media representation of climate change: frames and claims-makers in the New York Times and the Washington Post
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Rossiter, GayLene W., author; Trumbo, Craig Warren, advisor; Sturtevant, Robert, advisor; Champ, Joseph G., committee member
This study examined climate change-related news coverage in two elite U.S. newspapers, the New York Times and the Washington Post, during the second George W. Bush presidential administration from January 2005 to January 2009. Framing theory, using four functional frames, laid the groundwork for the investigation. A quantitative content analysis was conducted to determine the story frames and claims-makers portrayed in the news coverage; an interpretation of the narrative content was then performed to further explore the quantitative findings. Results revealed that scientists were more likely represented in story frames diagnosing causes and defining problems, whereas politicians were more likely represented in story frames making judgments and suggesting solutions. In addition, industry interests were more likely represented in story frames suggesting solutions.
Open Access
Adolescents and nutrition information-seeking: the role of the Internet
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Larsen, Jessica Nicole, author; Martey, Rosa Mikeal, advisor; Anderson, Jennifer, committee member; Seel, Peter Benjamin, committee member
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the ways adolescents find and make sense of nutrition information, giving special attention to the role of the Internet in that process. Adolescents' behaviors and opinions relevant to finding nutrition information were investigated using Kuhlthau’s (1993) iterative model of information-seeking as a theoretical foundation. Since many skills are required to search, engage with, and use online information sources and information, the information-seeking process was investigated in relationship to an applied context of eHealth literacy (Norman & Skinner, 2006a), referred to as eNutrition literacy. From six in-depth interviews and a brief paper-and-pencil questionnaire with seventy-nine adolescents aged 12-16 two trends emerged: 1) these adolescents were primarily presented with and fulfilled nutrition information needs in formal settings such as school and 2) these adolescents used the Internet to fulfill primarily personal needs. Therefore, a conflict existed between the ways they used the Internet and the ways they were presented with a nutrition information-seeking task. Nutrition-specific information literacy, media literacy, health literacy, and scientific literacy, created challenges in stages of the information-seeking process as well. Fundamentally, this affected their overall engagement with online nutrition information and their ability to receive the maximum benefits from the online information-seeking process.
Open Access
The antecedents of changing Facebook content for employment: an application of the theory of reasoned action
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Smith, Lindsey L., author; Seel, Peter Benjamin, advisor; Folkestad, James E., committee member; Trumbo, Craig, committee member
Facebook has become a focus of academic research. To date, though, little is known about Facebook behavior and how it relates to finding and securing a job based on the content individuals reveal on their profile. Thus, this exploratory study examined whether or not university seniors who are about to graduate and university alumni who have recently graduated are changing, or have changed, their Facebook profile content for the specific purpose of being perceived as employable due to concerns over monitoring by potential employers. Guided under the framework of the theory of reasoned action, one of the main goals of this study was to investigate how attitudes and subjective norms predict behavioral intention and actual behavior to change Facebook profile information. Through an online questionnaire, the study surveyed 57 undergraduate seniors and 38 undergraduate alumni from the Department of Journalism and Technical Communication at Colorado State University during the spring semester of 2010. Analysis revealed that for seniors, there were strong, significant relationships among attitudes, subjective norms, and behavioral intent with respect to changing their Facebook profile content. Furthermore, it was found that attitude was the most significant predictor of seniors changing their profile information. On the other hand, for alumni, analysis did not reveal significant relationships among attitude, subjective norms, and actual behavior. Analysis also indicated that there were no significant variables to predict actual behavior. Finally, through this study it was concluded that the theory of reasoned action does a better job of predicting intent than actual behavior.
Open Access
Perceptions of product blogs in Taiwan
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Huang, Joyce Chen Yi, author; Hallahan, Kirk, advisor; Kim, Jangyul, committee member; Chiu, Chuchang, committee member
A survey was conducted among college students in Taiwan (n=314) regarding their use, perceptions and responses to blogs that discuss products and services. Predictor variables included prior use/experience with blogs, the motivations of blog readers (seeking knowledge/information versus social utility/entertainment), the effects of blogger affiliation (independent, employee of manufacturer, paid), and the effects of balanced versus all-positive language. Criterion variables included assessments of credibility and value, purchase intent, and the likelihood of engaging in word-of-mouth (information sharing) online and offline. Blog readers in the study were primarily motivated by knowledge/information seeking rather than social utility/entertainment. As hypothesized, assessments of credibility and value were positively related to bloggers being independent and using balanced (versus all-positive) language. However, no statistically significant main effects were discerned based on these variables for purchase intent or for the likelihood of sharing information with others. Notably, respondents were more likely to respond offline than online, and females were more likely than males to engage in information sharing. People with positive attitudes toward blogs also were more likely to assess blogs as more trustworthy compared to either advertisements or news. Hierarchical regression suggested that attitudes toward blogs and purchase intent were best predicted by a knowledge/information motivation, although independence of the bloggers closely approached statistical significance. Information sharing online was best predicted by motivation based on social utility/entertainment (versus product knowledge), hours of e-mail use, and blogger affiliation. Information sharing online was also positively related to both forms of motivation and to the use of balanced language. Implications for blog marketing, limitations and directions for future research were discussed.
Open Access
Framing an NFL legend: a comparative analysis framing and structural pluralism in regional vs. national newspaper coverage of Brett Favre's retirement(s)
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Lundy, Catherine M., author; Champ, Joseph, advisor; Peek, Lori A., committee member; Trumbo, Craig, committee member
When legendary quarterback Brett Favre retired from the Green Bay Packers, not even he knew what the coming year had in store. Favre's subsequent un-retirement, additional season with the New York Jets, and re-retirement attracted immense media attention unparalleled by another athlete. Framing theory was used to compare regional (Green Bay Press Gazette) and national (New York Times and USA Today) newspaper coverage during the tumultuous yearlong period. Qualitative content analysis revealed differences and similarities between the publications' framing of the storyline. Structural pluralism theory proposed further differences between the two classes of publication. This phenomenon suggests smaller, less varied communities' media report less conflict than news reports covering larger, more complex areas. Additionally, the study provided evidence of a ritualistic, religious treatment of sports in modern society and its print media.
Open Access
Online high-definition video adoption among college students
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Song, Bevin Xu, author; Hallahan, Kirk, advisor; Kaminski, Karen, committee member; Long, Marilee, committee member
As more online video products are available in high-definition format, online high-definition video (online HD video), as a specific application of HD IPTV, has become more appealing to consumers. This study applied Rogers' (2003) diffusion of innovation theory to analyze the decision-making processes used in the adoption of the new technology. College students (n=242) completed a survey that examined the effects of technology use, media consumption, demographics (gender and family income), personality traits (innovativeness-venturesomeness and social integration), awarenessknowledge, perceptions about characteristics of online HD video, and perceptions about the benefits and risks of adoption. Dependent variables included attitudes among all respondents, satisfaction among adopters, and behavioral intent among non-adopters. Favorable attitudes were positively related to being male, more knowledge, more time spent with the broadband Internet, more innovative and venturesome in personality, more perceptions about benefits and fewer perceptions about risks, more perceptions about the five characteristics of online HD video. Satisfaction among adopters (n=187) was positively related to being male, innovativeness-venturesomeness and social integration personality, knowledge, perceived characteristics of online HD video, and perceptions about more benefits and less risks. Findings related to behavioral intent among nonadopters were difficult to analyze due to the small number of respondents (n=55), who were predominantly female. Behavioral intent was positively related to Rogers' notions about relative advantage, compatibility and observability, and perceptions about benefits and risks, but negatively related to a focus on social integration. No differences based on family income were found for attitude, behavioral intent or satisfaction.
Open Access
Claims and frames: newspaper coverage of the human papillomavirus vaccine
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Shenk, Caitlin, author; Trumbo, Craig, advisor; Broadfoot, Kirsten J., committee member; O'Keefe, Garrett J., committee member
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, a common sexually transmitted infection, has been identified as a primary cause of cervical cancer. With the availability of HPV vaccines, accurate and understandable information about HPV and HPV vaccines will be essential to manage personal and public responses to HPV and vaccine risks. The media play a key role in providing the public with that information. This content analysis quantitatively explored media treatment of risk associated HPV and the HPV vaccine through the theoretical lenses of framing and claims-making. A coding schema was developed to identify and quantify recurring information, frames, and claims-makers in coverage. Overall, coverage addressed a breadth of background and risk information about HPV and the HPV vaccine, but lacked a depth of discussion that would better inform readers. Dominant frames emphasized moral judgments, positive benefits, preventative behaviors, episodic contexts, institutional responsibility, and ethical values. Claims-makers more commonly made claims about the HPV vaccine over HPV, and the types of claims-makers included for each were relatively consistent. Although the media are not explicitly tasked with educating people on all the facts and perspectives about HPV and HPV vaccination, it is important to recognize their influence on the health and risk information people receive. Media coverage of HPV and the HPV vaccine could better inform the public by including more detailed background and risk information and by emphasizing a broader range of frames and claims-makers to provide readers with a more comprehensive understanding of the scope and implications of these issues.
Open Access
Optimistic bias in relation to hurricane risk
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2010) Morrissey, Bridget, author; Trumbo, Craig, advisor; O'Keefe, Garrett J., committee member; Peek, Lori A., committee member
Public officials in the natural disaster field benefit from knowing whether individuals tend to underestimate or overestimate the dangers they could face from future hurricanes. Correcting hurricane risk misperceptions can encourage individuals living in coastal regions to take action and prepare themselves for the next hurricane season. One of the first steps in this process is to understand social perceptions of risk. In order to so, this quantitative study explored optimistic bias in relation to hurricane risk. Optimistic bias is defined as the tendency of people to be unrealistically optimistic about life events (Weinstein, 1980). Weinstein explains this belief through the idea that individuals expect others to suffer hardship, but not themselves. After conducting a secondary analysis on 824 surveys collected from Gulf Coast residents, results show implications on the effects that dispositional optimism, age and tenure have on optimistic bias pertaining to hurricane risk. This data provides important information for future research and has implications for hurricane risk education.
Open Access
Use of the health belief model to explain perceptions of zoonotic disease risk by animal owners
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Wheeler, Karen L., author; Trumbo, Craig, advisor; O'Keefe, Garrett, committee member; Morley, Paul, committee member
The rise in the number of public health risks from zoonotic disease in just the past two decades has underscored both the importance of educating the public about risky health behaviors and preventive measures, and the need to communicate these topics in clear, concise and accessible language without inciting fear. People love their animals, typically sharing physical gestures of affection similar to those exchanged between humans. Most pet owners are poorly informed about risks posed by infectious agents that can be shared between animals and humans, and which pose a public health risk. To effectively communicate this information, we must first understand the determinants of a particular behavior: the role of beliefs, perception of risk, benefits, and barriers to change. The Health Belief Model, a theory that incorporates each of these factors, allows researchers to assess what might constitute a cue to action for individuals to make recommended changes in preventive health behavior. For this study examining the knowledge and perceptions of zoonotic disease risk and information-seeking behavior amongst small and mixed animal owners in the Inter-Mountain West, one thousand names were randomly selected from the client lists of the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Colorado State University. Four hundred participants (40 percent) responded to a mailed, self-administered, anonymous survey. Descriptive analysis assessed awareness of two zoonotic diseases: Salmonella and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; and information-seeking behaviors related to animal health and disease risk. Analysis revealed that, adopting protective behaviors is best achieved by perceiving greater benefits to adopting the recommended behavior, perceiving fewer barriers, and receiving more cues to action. Results also found differences between small and mixed animal owners in several areas of inquiry, including knowledge of disease, perception of risk, perception of cues to action and in information-seeking behaviors.
Open Access
An experiment analyzing information overload and its impact on students' consumer knowledge of high-definition television
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Vigil, Anthony Taeyang, author; Seel, Peter B., advisor; Switzer, Jamie S., committee member; Vigil, Patricia M., committee member
This study examined college students' consumer knowledge and how information overload affect students' understanding of High-Definition Television (HDTV). It explored the possible contributing attributes that may lead to information overload. It examined students' knowledge of High-Definition Television, and how both experience and perception of HDTV can influence information intake. When High-Definition TV was being touted to the world, broadcasters, manufacturers, and the government were rushing to inform the public of the transition and its impact. From $40 coupons for conversion boxes to differences between Plasma and DLP, the consumer was inundated with information related to HDTV. This study looks at the various constructs that create information overload allowing us to avoid useless, fragmented information that can hinder the decision making process. It provides insight into how consumers ingested this flow of information that can possibly save millions in information promotion and dispersion. Additionally, it provides important comprehensive substance to uncovering consumer behavior.
Open Access
News in a tumultuous border region: how journalists at the El Paso Times report on their Juarez neighbors
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Carter, Cathleen, author; Kodrich, Kris, advisor; Champ, Joseph, advisor; Byrne, Zinta, committee member
This ethnographic study examines the complexity of reporting the news in a tumultuous border region. Using observation and in-depth interviews, it reveals how reporters and editors at the El Paso Times define their roles and responsibilities as they cover both the violence and the daily life on both sides of the United States/Mexico border. It investigates the way journalists attempt to meet the needs of the community, which in this case encompasses two major cities, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas. Ciudad Juarez, where thousands of men, women and children have been murdered in recent years, is one of the most dangerous cities in the world. The El Paso Times newsroom is seven blocks from Juarez. This study was conducted in the El Paso Times newsroom during October and November of 2009. It documents journalists at the El Paso Times as they attempt to accurately cover Juarez, despite the danger.
Open Access
Relative deprivation, and procedural and distributive justice in National Environmental Policy Act scoping documents
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Bustos, John R., Jr., author; Long, Marilee, advisor; Thompson, Jessica, committee member; Champ, Joseph, committee member
The U.S. Forest Service often deals with very contentious resource management issues. This contention is wrought by the nature and diversity of people using National Forest system lands. The process for making decisions on the management of these issues is called the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This act describes how decisions will be made and how the public will be involved with these decisions based on the comparison of environmental impacts to alternatives usually developed by Forest Service resource managers before the public input process. The first step in NEPA is called scoping. In many cases this scoping is accomplished by sending a letter out to interested parties, called a scoping letter which describes the proposed action. This study examined NEPA-required scoping using a letter. Participants' attitudes toward the Forest Service and their feelings of justice were measured in reaction to information provided in a scoping letter. Participants were assigned to read one of three scoping letters. One letter provided a proposed action that decreased recreational shooting opportunities by eliminating shooting over a large area of National Forest System lands. The second scoping letter provided a proposed action that increased recreational shooting activities by opening up large areas of National Forest System land to shooting activities. The third scoping letter did not mention any proposed action. This letter described the processes that would be used to decide what the problem was regarding shooting and another process that would be used to decide on solutions to the problem. Participants who received the scoping letter that only provided processes had a more positive attitude toward the Forest Service than participants who received a scoping letter with a proposed action. Participants who received a letter with a proposed action that was not in their favor did not have a significantly more negative attitude toward the Forest Service than those who received a decision that was in their favor. In terms of justice, participants with a negative attitude toward the Forest Service who received a scoping letter with a process did not have significantly different feelings of justice than those who received either letter with a proposed action. Finally, no matter what participant's attitude toward the Forest Service, there was no significant difference in their feelings of justice.
Open Access
I'm fairly credible, don't you think? A study of the effects of gendered language on source credibility and persuasion
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2011) Blickenstaff, Ashley Ellen, author; Martey, Rosa Mikeal, advisor; Plaisance, Patrick Lee, committee member; Griffin, Cindy L., committee member
As the Internet introduces new ways of communicating, these fast and reliable forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC) have saturated offices, homes, airports and any other location with wireless Internet. Communicating in an instant, with one or with many, has become a staple in today's world. However, the technology once deemed "the great equalizer" has now raised concerns about inequalities and how these differences are manifested and perceived in a world where few cues are portrayed. Concerns about gender discriminations give rise to the question, What is the relationship between perceived gender and online perceptions? An online survey with 25 participants provides insight into gender cues and perceptions in one of the worlds most-used resource for communication: email. The results from this survey suggest that users form perceptions of a message's source and the message's persuasiveness through the linguistic cues given, even though cues are reduced in CMC. Participants read two stimuli messages created to simulate a common email message. Messages were attributed to a female writer, but were written using either masculine or feminine language. Analysis of source credibility and message persuasiveness scales suggest that the use of feminine language creates more positive perceptions of the source and more persuasive messages written using masculine language. Analysis of psychological gender suggests that users who are high in masculine characteristics but low in feminine characteristics are more likely to view all sources as having low credibility, but all messages as being highly persuasive. As CMC continues to grow in uses and popularity, businesses, employers, and every-day users are creating perceptions of themselves through the limited cues they are able to provide given the medium. However, users do base perceptions of the source and message from these cues. For women using CMC as a daily function, understanding how these cues are perceived can help them succeed in a gender-biased world.