Bruce A. Cameron

Dietary fat reduction behaviors in college students: relationship to dieting status, gender and key psychosocial variables.

The primary objectives were to assess dietary fat reduction/avoidance behaviors within a sample of college students, and to assess the strength of the relationship between self reported fat avoidance and a number of variables including body mass index (BMI), self-esteem, and responses to the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) and Eating Attitudes Test (EAT). A total of 210 female and 114 male undergraduate students were administered a food habits questionnaire (which assessed four dietary fat reduction behaviors), the EDI, the dieting subscale of the EAT, and the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. Measured heights and weights were used to compute BMI. Thirty-eight percent of the females and 13% of the males reported that they had dieted with the express purpose of losing weight in the past 12 months. The finding that females in general and female dieters in particular, scored higher on the EAT dieting subscale, and relied on three of the four dietary fat reduction behaviors to a greater extent than did males, supports the assertion that women rely heavily on dietary fat avoidance as a method to reduce caloric intakes. In females, the finding that a greater degree of fat avoidance was associated with significantly lower levels of self-esteem and higher scores on the EAT and on six of the eight EDI subscales suggested that fat avoidance may be a predictor of eating pathology and/or psychosocial problems in college-aged women.

Group Projects: Student Perceptions of the Relationship Between Social Tasks and a Sense of Community in Online Group Work

Abstract This study explored the relationship between specific social tasks and student perceptions of a sense of community during online group work. A survey instrument was developed, piloted, and deployed to 125 students in six different online classes. Results revealed few significant relationships between each of the five social tasks examined and student perceptions of a sense of community during online group work; however, students reported that some social tasks were important. Students seemed to focus more on completing a task for a grade than seeing group projects as part of developing community to enhance learning. This might reflect a lack of understanding by the students of the importance of social tasks to successful group project completion.

How do students define their roles and responsibilities in online learning group projects

The goal of this study was to explore the processes of group role formation in online class settings. Qualitative analysis was used to code chat logs and discussion threads in six undergraduate Family and Consumer Sciences online courses that required online group projects. Four themes related to the process of group role formation emerged: testing the waters, apologies as being nice, tag – you’re it, and struggling to find one’s role. Students created roles of leader, wannabe, spoiler, agreeable enabler, coat‐tails, and supportive worker as the group process evolved over the course of the semester. Results lend support for a balance between allowing students to create and experience roles on their own and faculty assignment of roles. Questions are raised related to faculty approaches toward directing and scaffolding the group process.

SENSORY INTERACTION AND DESCRIPTIONS OF FABRIC HAND

82 subjects who viewed and felt fabrics (sensory interaction group) used different categories of terms to describe fabric hand than did 38 subjects who only felt the fabrics. Therefore, the methods used to measure fabric hand that isolate the senses may not accurately assess the way in which subjects describe fabric hand in nonlaboratory settings.

Are Interpersonal Relationships Necessary for Developing Trust in Online Group Projects

Trust between group members has been suggested as an important part of small group work in online classrooms. Developing interpersonal relationships with group members may promote a sense of trust among them; however, research shows mixed results. The current study explored how students’ perceptions of the importance of interpersonal relationships in online groups affected their perceptions of trust and experiences within the group. Students enrolled in online classes that incorporated a group project were surveyed about their experiences with online group projects. Participants did not find interpersonal relationships as necessary in trust development. However, student gender and type (i.e., distance versus on-campus) were important factors in determining the type of experiences students had within their online groups. Males reported more negative experiences than females, and distance education students desired relationships with group members more than on-campus students.

Laundering in Cold Water: Detergent Considerations for Consumers

The effectiveness (ability to whiten) of six consumer laundry detergents, three powders and three liquids, was tested using a standard procedure. Assessment of each detergent’s ability to clean (ability to remove stain, thus whiten) a standard soiled cloth in six different cold water samples was evaluated. Two of the detergents, one powder and one liquid, are new laundry products designed to function in cold water. Results were based on a standardized procedure using launder-ometer treatment and reflectance colorimeter testing. Although no one detergent was very effective in whitening, the differences in the detergents were significant when compared to the original standard soiled cloth. In addition, when laundering this particular standard soiled cloth (carbon black/olive oil) in cold water, neither of the new cold water detergents were better at cleaning (whitening) the samples than the detergents without bleach or the bleach-containing detergents, and in fact, the powdered detergent with bleach performed the best in each of the tests in this study. The liquid detergent with bleach was best in comparison to other liquid detergents in only half of the tests performed.

Effect of Natural and Synthetic Fibers and Film and Moisture Content on Stratum Corneum Hydration in an Occlusive System

The effects of fabric made from natural and synthetic fibers and film on transepidermal water loss (tewl) from the stratum corneum (sc) were investigated using an occluded system. Sixteen fabrics differing in fiber type and construction were placed on the volar forearm of 35 female subjects in a dry state (standard moisture regain) and a wetted state. Each fabric was in place for 40 minutes before tewl was measured. There was no statistically significant difference in tewl measurements on a control skin site from the beginning to the end of the 75-minute test session in a controlled conditioned environment. Placement of dry fabrics on the skin did not significantly affect the hydration level of the sc, though all dry fabrics did increase the hydration level slightly. Wetted wool and cotton fabrics significantly hydrated the sc when levels were compared to either normal skin or skin covered by dry fabrics. Of the seven synthetic fiber fabrics tested in a wetted state, three (acrylic, ptfe, and spun nylon) significantly increased the sc hydration level. These three fabrics and the natural fiber fabrics had comparable wetted moisture content.

Development of an Interdisciplinary Method for the Study of Fabric Perception

In retail-store settings, consumers are influenced by visual and tactile information while shopping for textiles and apparel products. In order to simulate some aspects of a real-world shopping context while recognizing the benefit of laboratory control and precision, textile chemists, physical scientists, social scientists, and designers have developed a new methodology to study perceptual responses to textiles. Based on several studies, a series of recommendations is offered. To simulate an actual purchase setting, we recommend that some variables (e.g. room temperature and humidity) be monitored, but not controlled to the point at which applicability to a real-world context is diminished. We also make specific recommendations regarding viewing versus non-viewing of fabrics and other logistical variables in relation to our development of a fabric-sorting method and an open-ended response format. A list of common consumer-generated descriptors is provided. Our interdisciplinary method aims to strike a me...

Children's Creative Thinking and Color Discrimination

60 children in Grades 3 through 6 from two schools were administered the Farnsworth Munsell 100-Hue Test and teachers provided a measure of different aspects of each childs creative thinking on the Williams Scale of Childrens Divergent Thinking. Fluency and imagination scores were positively associated with color discrimination. While other dimensions of creative thinking did not correlate with color discrimination, some correlations suggested thematic connections between color discrimination and other manifestations of creative thinking as evaluated by teachers. Color discrimination was also positively associated with age, as older children differentiated between small differences in colors better than younger children. As intelligence or other variables may be relevant, further study is needed.