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Pages
- Title
- Emotional Intelligence in Organizational Social Networks.
- Creator
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Hermsdorfer, Andrea, Joseph, Dana, Fritzsche, Barbara, Wang, Wei, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study examined the role of emotional intelligence in relationships. Drawing on the notion that individuals who are high on emotional intelligence should have more social ties to others and stronger relationships within these ties, this study used social network analysis to specifically examine the extent to which emotional intelligence is positively related to social network centrality. I hypothesized that emotional intelligence would be positively related to centrality in four networks:...
Show moreThis study examined the role of emotional intelligence in relationships. Drawing on the notion that individuals who are high on emotional intelligence should have more social ties to others and stronger relationships within these ties, this study used social network analysis to specifically examine the extent to which emotional intelligence is positively related to social network centrality. I hypothesized that emotional intelligence would be positively related to centrality in four networks: advice, friendship, support, and positive affect presence. The hypotheses were not supported in this study, in spite of this, the incremental validity suggest a relationship between emotional intelligence and network centrality that may show up in future research.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006686, ucf:51927
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006686
- Title
- SOCIAL NETWORKING AND USERS: THE INTERACTION OF PERSONALITY AND MOTIVATION FOR FACEBOOK POSTING.
- Creator
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Kessler, Theresa, Hancock, Peter, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Facebook is the reigning king of Social Networking Sites (SNSs). Due to Facebook's impact on current culture, researchers have been focused on how it interacts with its members on a variety of issues including well-being, personal identity, personality type, and motivation. While the topics of personality type and motivation have been investigated separately, their possible relationship has not been examined until now. Participants consisted of 415 students from the University of Central...
Show moreFacebook is the reigning king of Social Networking Sites (SNSs). Due to Facebook's impact on current culture, researchers have been focused on how it interacts with its members on a variety of issues including well-being, personal identity, personality type, and motivation. While the topics of personality type and motivation have been investigated separately, their possible relationship has not been examined until now. Participants consisted of 415 students from the University of Central Florida were surveyed with an International Personality Item Pool (IPIP), a Facebook Intensity Survey, and a Facebook Motivation Scale. Results showed that the personality traits of agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability were positively related to intrinsic and extrinsic motivation to make posts on Facebook, extraversion was found to be related to extrinsic motivation to make posts, and intellect was found to have almost no relationship to motivation. In addition, participants who were higher in the traits of agreeableness, conscientiousness, and emotional stability were more likely to be more intensely involved in Facebook than those who were high in extraversion and intellect. Finally, I found that participants who were more intensely involved in Facebook experienced more motivation to make posts on Facebook.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFH0004504, ucf:45213
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004504
- Title
- EVOLUTION OF THE FOLK DEVIL: A SOCIAL NETWORK PERSPECTIVE OF THE HYBRID GANG LABEL.
- Creator
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Bolden, Christian, Huff-Corzine, Lin, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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In keeping abreast of current gang phenomena, this study seeks to comparatively examine structural processes and characteristics of gangs in chronic gang city, San Antonio, and an emerging gang city that would be more likely to have ÂÂÂÂ"hybridÂÂÂÂ" gangs, Orlando. Hybrid gangs have been identified...
Show moreIn keeping abreast of current gang phenomena, this study seeks to comparatively examine structural processes and characteristics of gangs in chronic gang city, San Antonio, and an emerging gang city that would be more likely to have ÂÂÂÂ"hybridÂÂÂÂ" gangs, Orlando. Hybrid gangs have been identified as having organizational processes that differ from traditional gangs; thus, this work will examine these processes that consist of a range of non-traditional phenomena, including cooperation between gangs, members switching gang affiliations, as well as gang initiations, and members leaving gangs. Additional characteristics uniquely associated with hybrid gangs consist of the notable presence of white, middle-class, and female gang members. Evidence suggests that the hybrid gang is more of a socially constructed moral panic than a reality. A limited number of recent studies have indicated that some gangs may better fit into a social network framework rather than a solid organizational analysis. When using the social network framework it becomes apparent that alleged hybrid behaviors are no different from regular gang behaviors regardless of geographic location. Claims about hybrid gangs serve to increase the idea of gang members as folk devils and cause undue concern of normal behaviors.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003239, ucf:48536
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003239
- Title
- Synthetic generators for simulating social networks.
- Creator
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Mohammed Ali, Awrad, Sukthankar, Gita, Wu, Annie, Boloni, Ladislau, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
An application area of increasing importance is creating agent-based simulations to model human societies. One component of developing these simulations is the ability to generate realistic human social networks. Online social networking websites, such as Facebook, Google+, and Twitter, have increased in popularity in the last decade. Despite the increase in online social networking tools and the importance of studying human behavior in these networks, collecting data directly from these...
Show moreAn application area of increasing importance is creating agent-based simulations to model human societies. One component of developing these simulations is the ability to generate realistic human social networks. Online social networking websites, such as Facebook, Google+, and Twitter, have increased in popularity in the last decade. Despite the increase in online social networking tools and the importance of studying human behavior in these networks, collecting data directly from these networks is not always feasible due to privacy concerns. Previous work in this area has primarily been limited to 1) network generators that aim to duplicate a small subset of the original network's properties and 2) problem-specific generators for applications such as the evaluation of community detection algorithms.In this thesis, we extended two synthetic network generators to enable them to duplicate the properties of a specific dataset. In the first generator, we consider feature similarity and label homophily among individuals when forming links. The second generator is designed to handle multiplex networks that contain different link types. We evaluate the performance of both generators on existing real-world social network datasets, as well as comparing our methods with a related synthetic network generator. In this thesis, we demonstrate that the proposed synthetic network generators are both time efficient and require only limited parameter optimization.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005532, ucf:50300
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005532
- Title
- SPARSIFICATION OF SOCIAL NETWORKS USING RANDOM WALKS.
- Creator
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Wilder, Bryan, Sukthankar, Gita, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Analysis of large network datasets has become increasingly important. Algorithms have been designed to find many kinds of structure, with numerous applications across the social and biological sciences. However, a tradeoff is always present between accuracy and scalability; otherwise promising techniques can be computationally infeasible when applied to networks with huge numbers of nodes and edges. One way of extending the reach of network analysis is to sparsify the graph by retaining only...
Show moreAnalysis of large network datasets has become increasingly important. Algorithms have been designed to find many kinds of structure, with numerous applications across the social and biological sciences. However, a tradeoff is always present between accuracy and scalability; otherwise promising techniques can be computationally infeasible when applied to networks with huge numbers of nodes and edges. One way of extending the reach of network analysis is to sparsify the graph by retaining only a subset of its edges. The reduced network could prove much more tractable. For this thesis, I propose a new sparsification algorithm that preserves the properties of a random walk on the network. Specifically, the algorithm finds a subset of edges that best preserves the stationary distribution of a random walk by minimizing the Kullback-Leibler divergence between a walk on the original and sparsified graphs. A highly efficient greedy search strategy is developed to optimize this objective. Experimental results are presented that test the performance of the algorithm on the influence maximization task. These results demonstrate that sparsification allows near-optimal solutions to be found in a small fraction of the runtime that would required using the full network. Two cases are shown where sparsification allows an influence maximization algorithm to be applied to a dataset that previous work had considered intractable.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFH0004732, ucf:45387
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004732
- Title
- OLDER ADULTS AND ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKING: RELATING ISSUES OF ATTITUDES, EXPERTISE, AND USE.
- Creator
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Hernandez, Elise, Smither, Janan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The social transition to older adulthood can be challenging for elderly individuals and their families when isolation poses a threat to well-being. Technology is currently providing younger generations with an opportunity to stay in contact with social partners through the use of online social networking tools; it is unclear whether older adults are also taking advantage of this communication method. This study explored how older adults are experiencing online social networking. Specifically,...
Show moreThe social transition to older adulthood can be challenging for elderly individuals and their families when isolation poses a threat to well-being. Technology is currently providing younger generations with an opportunity to stay in contact with social partners through the use of online social networking tools; it is unclear whether older adults are also taking advantage of this communication method. This study explored how older adults are experiencing online social networking. Specifically, this research addressed how older adults' attitudes towards online social networking are related to their expertise in using computers and the internet for this purpose. A survey methodological approach was employed whereby older adults aged 65 and over were recruited from senior centers across the Central Florida area to fill out a series of questionnaires. The Computer Aversion, Attitudes, and Familiarity Index (CAAFI) was used to measure attitudes and expertise with computers. The Internet Technical Literacy and Social Awareness Scale was used to measure interest and expertise with the internet. The relationship between older adults' use of online social networking and their attitudes and expertise was also investigated. Finally, social connectedness, (measured using the Social Connectedness Scale) and subjective well-being (measured using the Satisfaction with Life Scale) were measured to explore whether older adults receive a psychosocial benefit from using online social networking. Findings showed expertise and attitudes scores were strongly correlated, and these scores were also predictive of online social networking use. The results of this study may help social service providers for elderly individuals begin to understand the many factors associated with using new forms of technology.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFH0004078, ucf:44786
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004078
- Title
- MOVING FROM A TEXTBOOK TO FACEBOOK: COLLEGE STUDENTS' MOTIVATIONS FOR USING SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES IN EDUCATION.
- Creator
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Halter, Heather, Brown, Tim, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This study examined college student motivations for using social networking sites for educational purposes. Motives were examined through the uses and gratifications approach. If we can determine student motivations for using social networking sites, perhaps we can determine a way to successfully implement social networking sites into the classroom. By adding the concept of satisfaction, we can also determine if students will use the sites again. If students are satisfied with educational...
Show moreThis study examined college student motivations for using social networking sites for educational purposes. Motives were examined through the uses and gratifications approach. If we can determine student motivations for using social networking sites, perhaps we can determine a way to successfully implement social networking sites into the classroom. By adding the concept of satisfaction, we can also determine if students will use the sites again. If students are satisfied with educational social networking site use, they will return to these sites for educational purposes again. Data was collected by giving a questionnaire to undergraduate students that assessed social networking site use, as well as motivations for and satisfaction with use. For general uses, students were motivated to use social networking sites for relationship maintenance, passing time, and information seeking purposes. Overall, students were satisfied with their use of the sites. For educational uses, students were motivated to use the sites for relationship maintenance and information seeking purposes. Overall, students are not satisfied with their use of these sites for educational purposes. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003497, ucf:48984
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003497
- Title
- The Relationship between Mentoring and Social Status at Work: A Social Network Status Study.
- Creator
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Flowers, Lakeesha, Jentsch, Kimberly, Fritzsche, Barbara, Wooten, William, Chepenik, Nancy, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Mentoring is an important means of developing talent. Typically, mentoring involves two individuals (-) a mentor, who provides career development and psychosocial support to a less experienced counterpart (the prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;). Because mentoring is related to several desired outcomes such as career advancement, and job satisfaction, it is important to understand which individual characteristics are important to obtaining or providing effective mentoring. It is also necessary to examine...
Show moreMentoring is an important means of developing talent. Typically, mentoring involves two individuals (-) a mentor, who provides career development and psychosocial support to a less experienced counterpart (the prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;). Because mentoring is related to several desired outcomes such as career advancement, and job satisfaction, it is important to understand which individual characteristics are important to obtaining or providing effective mentoring. It is also necessary to examine potential but unconfirmed outcomes of mentoring such as social network status. This study examined the relationships between several individual characteristics, namely social intelligence and emotional intelligence, and mentoring relationships. In addition, this study examined the relationships between mentoring and social network status. In this non-experimental study, there were several unique relationships among these constructs. The results indicate a person's social intelligence is indicative of their status as a mentor (or not a mentor) but is not related to status as a prot(&)#233;g(&)#233; (or not a prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;). In addition, a mentor's perception of the costs and benefits of mentoring were explained by the prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;'s social intelligence and emotional intelligence. A mentor's social intelligence also explained the quality of the mentoring given. Finally, a mentor's social network status was related to the prot(&)#233;g(&)#233;'s social network status but this relationship was not due to the mentoring received. This study provides one of the first examinations of the relationship between mentoring and social network status and provides areas for future research and practical considerations.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004308, ucf:49478
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004308
- Title
- THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL CAPITAL ON YOUTH SUBSTANCE USE.
- Creator
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Unlu, Ali, Wan, Thomas, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Substance use, such as alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana, is a threat to the health and well-being of the youth, their families, and society as well. Government supports and implements several programs to protect youth from substance use. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of social capital on youth behavior and to suggest evidence-based policy interventions. Social capital refers to individual embeddedness in web of social relations and their behaviors guided by social structure...
Show moreSubstance use, such as alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana, is a threat to the health and well-being of the youth, their families, and society as well. Government supports and implements several programs to protect youth from substance use. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of social capital on youth behavior and to suggest evidence-based policy interventions. Social capital refers to individual embeddedness in web of social relations and their behaviors guided by social structure. Therefore, adolescents' social interactions with their peers, parents, and community were investigated. The substance use was measured by the usage of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and inhalants in the past year. The type of activities adolescents participate in, the time and type of intra-familial interactions between parents and adolescents, and the type of peer groups adolescents interact with were employed as indicators of social capital. In other words, this study focuses on the relationship between youth substance use and the impact of parents, peers, and youth activities. Moreover, the study examined not only the correlation between social capital and substance use, but also the variation in substance use among youth by age, gender, ethnicity, income level, and mobility. The data, National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2005, 2006, and 2007), was collected by the United States Department of Health and Human Service, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Office of Applied Studies. The sample size for each year was around 17.000. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized. The results of the statistical analysis supported the research hypothesis.Findings show that there is a relationship between youth substance use and social capital. All three dimensions of social capital (peer impact, family attachments, and youth activities) were found to be statistically significant. While peer influence is positively correlated with substance use, family attachment and youth activities have a negative relationship with substance use. The impact of social capital however varies by age, gender, ethnicity, mobility, and income level. The study also contributes to the social capital literature by integrating different perspectives in social capital and substance use literature. Moreover, it successfully demonstrates how social capital can be utilized as a policy and intervention tool.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- CFE0002700, ucf:48237
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002700
- Title
- Routing, Localization and Positioning Protocols for Wireless Sensor and Actor Networks.
- Creator
-
Akbas, Mustafa, Turgut, Damla, Boloni, Ladislau, Georgiopoulos, Michael, Brust, Matthias, Bassiouni, Mostafa, Zhao, Yue, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Wireless sensor and actor networks (WSANs) are distributed systems of sensor nodes and actors that are interconnected over the wireless medium. Sensor nodes collect information about the physical world and transmit the data to actors by using one-hop or multi-hop communications. Actors collect information from the sensor nodes, process the information, take decisions and react to the events.This dissertation presents contributions to the methods of routing, localization and positioning in...
Show moreWireless sensor and actor networks (WSANs) are distributed systems of sensor nodes and actors that are interconnected over the wireless medium. Sensor nodes collect information about the physical world and transmit the data to actors by using one-hop or multi-hop communications. Actors collect information from the sensor nodes, process the information, take decisions and react to the events.This dissertation presents contributions to the methods of routing, localization and positioning in WSANs for practical applications. We first propose a routing protocol with service differentiation for WSANs with stationary nodes. In this setting, we also adapt a sports ranking algorithm to dynamically prioritize the events in the environment depending on the collected data. We extend this routing protocol for an application, in which sensor nodes float in a river to gather observations and actors are deployed at accessible points on the coastline. We develop a method with locally acting adaptive overlay network formation to organize the network with actor areas and to collect data by using locality-preserving communication.We also present a multi-hop localization approach for enriching the information collected from the river with the estimated locations of mobile sensor nodes without using positioning adapters. As an extension to this application, we model the movements of sensor nodes by a subsurface meandering current mobility model with random surface motion. Then we adapt the introduced routing and network organization methods to model a complete primate monitoring system. A novel spatial cut-off preferential attachment model and center of mass concept are developed according to the characteristics of the primate groups. We also present a role determination algorithm for primates, which uses the collection of spatial-temporal relationships. We apply a similar approach to human social networks to tackle the problem of automatic generation and organization of social networks by analyzing and assessing interaction data. The introduced routing and localization protocols in this dissertation are also extended with a novel three dimensional actor positioning strategy inspired by the molecular geometry. Extensive simulations are conducted in OPNET simulation tool for the performance evaluation of the proposed protocols.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0005292, ucf:50564
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005292
- Title
- A HYBRID SIMULATION METHODOLOGY TO EVALUATE NETWORK CENTRICDECISION MAKING UNDER EXTREME EVENTS.
- Creator
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Quijada, Sergio, Sepulveda, Jose, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Currently the network centric operation and network centric warfare have generated a new area of research focused on determining how hierarchical organizations composed by human beings and machines make decisions over collaborative environments. One of the most stressful scenarios for these kinds of organizations is the so-called extreme events. This dissertation provides a hybrid simulation methodology based on classical simulation paradigms combined with social network analysis for...
Show moreCurrently the network centric operation and network centric warfare have generated a new area of research focused on determining how hierarchical organizations composed by human beings and machines make decisions over collaborative environments. One of the most stressful scenarios for these kinds of organizations is the so-called extreme events. This dissertation provides a hybrid simulation methodology based on classical simulation paradigms combined with social network analysis for evaluating and improving the organizational structures and procedures, mainly the incident command systems and plans for facing those extreme events. According to this, we provide a methodology for generating hypotheses and afterwards testing organizational procedures either in real training systems or simulation models with validated data. As long as the organization changes their dyadic relationships dynamically over time, we propose to capture the longitudinal digraph in time and analyze it by means of its adjacency matrix. Thus, by using an object oriented approach, three domains are proposed for better understanding the performance and the surrounding environment of an emergency management organization. System dynamics is used for modeling the critical infrastructure linked to the warning alerts of a given organization at federal, state and local levels. Discrete simulations based on the defined concept of "community of state" enables us to control the complete model. Discrete event simulation allows us to create entities that represent the data and resource flows within the organization. We propose that cognitive models might well be suited in our methodology. For instance, we show how the team performance decays in time, according to the Yerkes-Dodson curve, affecting the measures of performance of the whole organizational system. Accordingly we suggest that the hybrid model could be applied to other types of organizations, such as military peacekeeping operations and joint task forces. Along with providing insight about organizations, the methodology supports the analysis of the "after action review" (AAR), based on collection of data obtained from the command and control systems or the so-called training scenarios. Furthermore, a rich set of mathematical measures arises from the hybrid models such as triad census, dyad census, eigenvalues, utilization, feedback loops, etc., which provides a strong foundation for studying an emergency management organization. Future research will be necessary for analyzing real data and validating the proposed methodology.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001243, ucf:46926
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001243
- Title
- THE 1980'S AND TODAY;AN ANALYSIS OF WOMEN'S SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING.
- Creator
-
Coleman, Michelle, Gay, David, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The purpose of this study is to augment the existing literature concerning the relationship between marital status, gender, social networks, and cohort effect on dimensions of subjective well-being for women. Multiple dimensions of subjective well-being are examined. Multiple regression and logistic regression are employed to examine the effects of marital status, social networks, and cohort effects on the dependent variables that tap the dimensions of subjective well-being. The analysis...
Show moreThe purpose of this study is to augment the existing literature concerning the relationship between marital status, gender, social networks, and cohort effect on dimensions of subjective well-being for women. Multiple dimensions of subjective well-being are examined. Multiple regression and logistic regression are employed to examine the effects of marital status, social networks, and cohort effects on the dependent variables that tap the dimensions of subjective well-being. The analysis controls for age, race, education, income, religious attendance and region of residence. The findings report some inconsistency in regards to the current literature. Social networks and support are found to be the most constant independent predictor of subjective well-being. While the effects of being divorced and separated, as well as cohort membership, are not as consistent, the findings are notable and should be addressed in future research addressing subjective well-being.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0001230, ucf:46895
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001230
- Title
- How do after-school staff use social networks to support at-risk youth? A social capital analysis.
- Creator
-
Philp, Katherine, Gill, Michele, Biraimah, Karen, Bai, Haiyan, Hewitt, Randall, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Little is known about the social capital of adults in after-school settings or the ways in which they use social contacts to support youth success, particularly for at-risk youth. Their effectiveness as brokers for learning opportunities may depend on aspects of their social capital: both the quantity and quality of their social networks as well as their attitudes and beliefs related to seeking help from social contacts. This mixed-methods study surveyed 50 after-school program staff serving...
Show moreLittle is known about the social capital of adults in after-school settings or the ways in which they use social contacts to support youth success, particularly for at-risk youth. Their effectiveness as brokers for learning opportunities may depend on aspects of their social capital: both the quantity and quality of their social networks as well as their attitudes and beliefs related to seeking help from social contacts. This mixed-methods study surveyed 50 after-school program staff serving teens in high-poverty neighborhoods to examine the characteristics of adult social capital and to explore attitudes towards mobilizing social resources to support youth. Surveys measured social network size (total contacts), network social status (average prestige of known occupations), and network orientations, as well as social resource mobilization (brokering). The results of an initial logistic regression found that only total known contacts was a significant predictor of resource mobilization. Six participants were identified for follow-up interviews. Exposing youth to novel experiences emerged as a critical theme related to youth interest development and adult brokering action. Interviews also indicated that structural elements of youth programs might influence the need for staff to draw on personal connections, suggesting possible targets for intervention. This study provides novel insight into the characteristics of the social networks held by adults working in after-school programs, as well as into the attitudes and beliefs held by these individuals towards brokering learning opportunities for youth.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007707, ucf:52419
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007707
- Title
- MEASURING MULTILEVEL CONSTRUCTS: THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL FEATURES OF TEAM BEHAVIORAL PROCESS UNDER COMPILATIONAL MODELS.
- Creator
-
Murase, Toshio, Dechurch, Leslie, Salas, Eduardo, Bowers, Clint, Kapucu, Naim, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Since at least the 1950s, researchers interested in studying the dynamics of small groups have struggled with how best to measure interaction processes. Although team process measurement issues are not particularly unique in terms of content, measuring multilevel phenomena presents an interesting problem because structural aspects are integral components of emergence. The elemental content of multilevel phenomena is wholly unique and distinguishable from the elemental content of composite...
Show moreSince at least the 1950s, researchers interested in studying the dynamics of small groups have struggled with how best to measure interaction processes. Although team process measurement issues are not particularly unique in terms of content, measuring multilevel phenomena presents an interesting problem because structural aspects are integral components of emergence. The elemental content of multilevel phenomena is wholly unique and distinguishable from the elemental content of composite units, and emerges as individual behaviors compile to higher levels of analyses. Analogous to chemical structures, behavioral phenomena manifest at higher levels in different structural patterns as members connect to one another through dynamic interactions. Subsequently, multilevel phenomena are more appropriately characterized in terms of pattern in addition to the traditionally measured intensity. The vast majority of teams research conceptualizes and operationalizes multilevel phenomena based on compositional (i.e., additive) models. This approach impedes the further advancement of the science of team effectiveness by capturing content and intensity, but not structure. This dissertation argues that compilational models better capture content, intensity, and structure, and therefore represent a preferred alternative for conceptualizing and operationalizing team processes. This dissertation details measurement issues associated with compositional models in teams research, and provides concepts helpful for reconceptualizing team processes as compilational forms.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0004145, ucf:49048
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004145
- Title
- VICTIMIZATION, RISKY BEHAVIORS, AND THE VIRTUAL WORLD.
- Creator
-
Morgan, Rachel, Jasinski, Jana, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, have become increasingly popular among teens and young adults because of the availability of the internet. Because these websites promote interpersonal connections and information sharing among individuals around the world, personal information to online "friends" may be shared carelessly. However, little is known about the correlation between engaging in online activities, sharing personal information online, and susceptibility to online...
Show moreSocial networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, have become increasingly popular among teens and young adults because of the availability of the internet. Because these websites promote interpersonal connections and information sharing among individuals around the world, personal information to online "friends" may be shared carelessly. However, little is known about the correlation between engaging in online activities, sharing personal information online, and susceptibility to online victimization and cyberbullying. This study analyzes data from the Parents & Teens 2006 Survey to examine the applicability of Routine Activities Theory as a theoretical framework for understanding cybervictimization and cyberbullying. Online teens and teens on social networking sites (SNS) were examined separately in this study to determine if social networking (SNS) teens were at an increased risk. The results indicated that participating in online activities and sharing personal information increased the risk for receiving a threatening email, instant message or text message. Teens whose parents did not have rules regulating their online activities and behaviors were also at an increased risk for receiving a threatening email, instant message or text message. The logistic regression models show that for social networking (SNS) teens, gender and age increase the odds of receiving a threat, compared to online teens.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003048, ucf:48348
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003048
- Title
- Identifying Influential Agents in Social Systems.
- Creator
-
Maghami, Mahsa, Sukthankar, Gita, Turgut, Damla, Wu, Annie, Boloni, Ladislau, Garibay, Ivan, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This dissertation addresses the problem of influence maximization in social networks. Influence maximization is applicable to many types of real-world problems, including modeling contagion, technology adoption, and viral marketing. Here we examine an advertisement domain in which the overarching goal is to find the influential nodes in a social network, based on the network structure and the interactions, as targets of advertisement. The assumption is that advertisement budget limits prevent...
Show moreThis dissertation addresses the problem of influence maximization in social networks. Influence maximization is applicable to many types of real-world problems, including modeling contagion, technology adoption, and viral marketing. Here we examine an advertisement domain in which the overarching goal is to find the influential nodes in a social network, based on the network structure and the interactions, as targets of advertisement. The assumption is that advertisement budget limits prevent us from sending the advertisement to everybody in the network. Therefore, a wise selection of the people can be beneficial in increasing the product adoption. To model these social systems, agent-based modeling, a powerful tool for the study of phenomena that are difficult to observe within the confines of the laboratory, is used.To analyze marketing scenarios, this dissertation proposes a new method for propagating information through a social system and demonstrates how it can be used to develop a product advertisement strategy in a simulated market. We consider the desire of agents toward purchasing an item as a random variable and solve the influence maximization problem in steady state using an optimization method to assign the advertisement of available products to appropriate messenger agents. Our market simulation 1) accounts for the effects of group membership on agent attitudes 2) has a network structure that is similar to realistic human systems 3) models inter-product preference correlations that can be learned from market data. The results on synthetic data show that this method is significantly better than network analysis methods based on centrality measures.The optimized influence maximization (OIM) described above, has some limitations. For instance, it relies on a global estimation of the interaction among agents in the network, rendering it incapable of handling large networks. Although OIM is capable of finding the influential nodes in the social network in an optimized way and targeting them for advertising, in large networks, performing the matrix operations required to find the optimized solution is intractable.To overcome this limitation, we then propose a hierarchical influence maximization (HIM) algorithm for scaling influence maximization to larger networks. In the hierarchical method the network is partitioned into multiple smaller networks that can be solved exactly with optimization techniques, assuming a generalized IC model, to identify a candidate set of seed nodes. The candidate nodes are used to create a distance-preserving abstract version of the network that maintains an aggregate influence model between partitions. The budget limitation for the advertising dictates the algorithm's stopping point. On synthetic datasets, we show that our method comes close to the optimal node selection, at substantially lower runtime costs.We present results from applying the HIM algorithm to real-world datasets collected from social media sites with large numbers of users (Epinions, SlashDot, and WikiVote) and compare it with two benchmarks, PMIA and DegreeDiscount, to examine the scalability and performance.Our experimental results reveal that HIM scales to larger networks but is outperformed by degree-based algorithms in highly-connected networks. However, HIM performs well in modular networks where the communities are clearly separable with small number of cross-community edges. This finding suggests that for practical applications it is useful to account for network properties when selecting an influence maximization method.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005205, ucf:50647
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005205
- Title
- RECIDIVISM PREVENTION THROUGH PROSOCIAL SUPPORT: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF EMPIRICAL LITERATURE.
- Creator
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McDaniel, Kimber, Lawrence, Shawn, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Of the 700 offenders that are released from prison each year, seven in ten will be rearrested. There are a number of barriers face by released offenders that inhibit their successful reentry. These barriers include: mental health illness, limited work experience, lower education, substance abuse, lack of transportation, homelessness and poverty strain of family ties and/or close relationships. This paper explores the impact of social support on recidivism rates through a systematic review of...
Show moreOf the 700 offenders that are released from prison each year, seven in ten will be rearrested. There are a number of barriers face by released offenders that inhibit their successful reentry. These barriers include: mental health illness, limited work experience, lower education, substance abuse, lack of transportation, homelessness and poverty strain of family ties and/or close relationships. This paper explores the impact of social support on recidivism rates through a systematic review of the literature surrounding prosocial support. The implications for social work practice and research are also discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFH0004627, ucf:45279
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004627
- Title
- THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON SEXUAL COGNITIONS AND BEHAVIORS.
- Creator
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Duarte, Joshua, Wright, Chrysalis, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Pop culture and social media have become a prime source of entertainment and communication. The current study focuses on the potential effects of consuming this form of media and how it affects our sexual cognitions and behaviors. A sample of nine hundred and two university students were given self-reporting questionnaires concerning demographics, sexual cognitions, and exposure to sexual content in music. An analysis of music artist's posts on social media was also performed. It was...
Show morePop culture and social media have become a prime source of entertainment and communication. The current study focuses on the potential effects of consuming this form of media and how it affects our sexual cognitions and behaviors. A sample of nine hundred and two university students were given self-reporting questionnaires concerning demographics, sexual cognitions, and exposure to sexual content in music. An analysis of music artist's posts on social media was also performed. It was hypothesized that artists who have sexual content published in their work will also have the same amount of sexual content on social media. However, there were no significant correlations found between these sources. This study found that exposure to sexual content on social media could increase the chances of acquiring certain sexual cognitions. The current study also aimed to analyze the common characteristics of artist's that post a higher frequency of sexual content on social media. This study found that female artists tend to post more sexual content on social media compared to male artists, as well as music groups containing both male and female artists.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFH2000136, ucf:46062
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000136
- Title
- THE ROLE OF WEB 2.0 AND SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNITY IN EDUCATION AS A FORM OF TEACHER PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.
- Creator
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Smith, Brandi, Gunter, Glenda, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Teachers are facing greater technological demands. They are expected to use and teach their students to use various forms of collaborative technology (Partnership for 21st Century Learning, 2010). Personal professional development is professional development that teachers seek on their own, strictly on a voluntary basis, so that they can meet the needs of their students or address issues that are unique to their classroom. This study used a survey to examine the relationship between how...
Show moreTeachers are facing greater technological demands. They are expected to use and teach their students to use various forms of collaborative technology (Partnership for 21st Century Learning, 2010). Personal professional development is professional development that teachers seek on their own, strictly on a voluntary basis, so that they can meet the needs of their students or address issues that are unique to their classroom. This study used a survey to examine the relationship between how teachers' reported using social media community in education for personal professional development and the criteria for effective professional development, teachers' integration practices, teachers' frequency of collaboration, and teachers' ability to communicate with colleagues. The results revealed a relationship between the criteria that a professional development be content specific and coherent and integrated with teachers' daily lives and whether or not teachers report using social media community in education as a form of professional development. There was also a statistically significant relationship between the frequency of technology integration, the reported level of technology integration, and the feeling of growth based on whether or not teachers used social media community in education to enhance professional practices. A statistically significant relationship was found between the frequency at which teachers report collaborating on technology integration projects with colleagues in social media communities in education and whether or not respondents use Social media community in education connect with other educational professionals. Finally, a statistically significant relationship was found between how comfortable participants are giving technology integration advice to colleagues in social media communities in education based on whether or not respondents use social media community in education to share materials and ideas. Based on the findings of the study, several implications can be made regarding the use of social networks for personal professional development. First, the use of social networks for personal professional development is best when there is content specificity and cohesion with teachers' personal and professional goals. Secondly the users of a social network for personal professional development must purposeful in their reasons for using the social network, users must perceive themselves as capable of learning and they must have the willingness to commit to learning. Another implication is that increased levels of ownership for the material in social media communities in education would result in greater frequency of collaboration. Finally, teachers' perceptions of their integration abilities will determine if teachers will use social networks to communicate professionally with colleagues.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0004027, ucf:49179
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004027
- Title
- ORGANIZATIONAL SOCIAL CAPITAL AND PERCEIVED PERFORMANCE OF DRUG LAW ENFORCEMENT DEPARTMENTS: A CASE STUDY IN TURKEY.
- Creator
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Sahin, Ismail, Wan, Thomas, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Supply reduction efforts by drug law enforcement departments are a significant factor in improving the effectiveness of drug control policies. As with other public organizations, the performance of drug law enforcement departments is one of the most important concerns for policy makers. Therefore, improving the performance of these departments is crucial in order for governments to constrict illegal drug markets and prevent illegal drug distribution. The literature suggests that social...
Show moreSupply reduction efforts by drug law enforcement departments are a significant factor in improving the effectiveness of drug control policies. As with other public organizations, the performance of drug law enforcement departments is one of the most important concerns for policy makers. Therefore, improving the performance of these departments is crucial in order for governments to constrict illegal drug markets and prevent illegal drug distribution. The literature suggests that social capital may have significant implications for policy makers and practitioners in terms of enhancing organizational performance.Social capital has recently been examined at the organizational level. It may contribute to organizational effectiveness by increasing motivation, solving coordination problems, facilitating information flow between individuals and organizations, and developing knowledge within organizations. Because of the nature of the work, drug law enforcement departments or agencies require information sharing, cooperation, and motivation, all possible derivatives of social capital.Using a measurement model of organizational social capital, this study examines relationships among three dimensions of organizational social capital. The influence of social capital on the perceived performance of drug law enforcement departments is investigated using structural equation modeling. Possible correlations among these dimensions or domains of organizational social capital are also empirically tested.Using survey data from 12 city law enforcement departments in Turkey, this study examines three social capital dimensions: (1) the structural dimension, concerning the extent to which officers within a department informally interact with each other; (2) the relational dimension, referring to the normative qualities of relationships among officers, such as trust and reciprocity; and (3) the cognitive dimension, reflected by shared language, shared interpretation, and shared vision.Four research hypotheses were tested and supported by the statistical results. The studyÂÂ's findings indicate that the relational and cognitive social capital variables have a direct and positive relationship with the perceived performance of drug law enforcement departments. Relational and cognitive social capital, as latent constructs, were shown to have a strong relationship with organizational performance. Structural social capital, however, does not have a direct relationship with but may indirectly influence performance. This result indicates that structural social capital may influence organizational performance only indirectly, through its joint influence with two other social capital domains. On the other hand, strong and positive intercorrelations were found among the three dimensions. The results suggest that social capital is essential for drug law enforcement departments because police officers who know, understand, and trust each other are more likely to work together efficiently and effectively towards achieving organizational performance.According to the findings, informal structures shaped by informal relations among officers within the departments may also be an important factor for organizational performance. Investing in the development of social interactions and networks and building trust within organizations is important in order for administrators to improve organizational performance. The results of this conceptually grounded and empirical study suggest that drug law enforcement departments or agencies should pay close attention to promoting social capital among officers in order to fight effectively against drug trafficking.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2010
- Identifier
- CFE0003182, ucf:48601
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0003182
