Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Among Subtest Scores On The Structure Of Intellect-Learning Abilities Test, Teacher Assigned Grades & Standardized Measures Of Achievement For A Population Of Gifted Students, Randy Rhoad

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship, among gifted students, between scores obtained on the Structure of Intellect-Learning Abilities (SOI-LA) test and two measures of achievement: teacher assigned grades and scores obtained on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS). This study was based on the assertion that academic abilities should be linked to specific cognitive abilities measured by the SOI-LA subtests. Significant, positive relationships between academic abilities and SOI-LA subtest scores would imply that curricula based on the Structure of Intellect theory, in areas identified as deficient by the SOI-LA tests, may increase achievement among the …

The Linguistic Relativity Of Person Cognition: An English-Chinese Comparison, Curt Hoffman, Ivy Yee-Man Lau, David R. Johnson

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Examined the possibility that distinct languages are capable of exerting language-specific effects on people's impressions of and memory for other individuals. Parallel English- and Chinese-language descriptions were created of 2 characters exemplifying personality schemas with economical labels in English but not in Chinese, and 2 characters exemplifying personality schemas with economical labels in Chinese but not in English. Three groups of 12 undergraduates participated as Ss-English monolinguals, Chinese-English bilinguals who read and responded in English, and Chinese-English bilinguals who read and responded in Chinese. It was predicted that Ss processing the target descriptions in English would show greater evidence of …

Do We Really Know What Makes Educational Software Effective? A Call For Empirical Research On Effectiveness, Karen Jolicoeur, Dale E. Berger

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Empirical information on specific factors that make educational software effective in reaching instructional objectives would be of considerable value. The authors describe the current state of evaluation research with educational software and discuss how popular software review methods fall short of meeting our need to know how well specific programs work.

Cardiac Correlates Of Individual Recognition In The Chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes), Sarah T. Boysen, Gary G. Berntson

Sentience Collection

The ability of a chimpanzee to recognize individuals depicted in photographs was evaluated through the use of heart rate measures. Heart rate was recorded before and during photographic projections of human caregivers, familiar individuals, strangers, and blank control slides. In the absence of explicit training or reinforcement, the chimpanzee displayed a differential pattern of heart rate response to the stimulus categories. Although heart rate responses to all stimuli were predominantly deceleratory, the photographs of caregivers yielded consistently larger responses than other stimuli. Results indicate that the chimpanzee is able to recognize individual humans from novel photographic representations and that heart …

Adolescent Loneliness, Self-Disclosure, And Private Self-Consciousness: A Longitudinal Investigation, Mark H. Davis, Stephen L. Franzoi

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Examined the causal relations that exist among loneliness, self-disclosure, and private self-consciousness, building on an earlier study by S. L. Franzoi and M. H. Davis (see record 1985-19892-001). Using structural equation techniques and a longitudinal design, a theoretical model that links these variables was tested with 332 high school students. Results indicate a good fit between the theoretical model and the observed relations. Evidence concerning 2 alternative interpretations of the original Franzoi and Davis study is provided. First, the original hypothesis that private self-consciousness leads to greater self-disclosure to peers is supported, but no support for the alternative view …

The Development And Construct Validation Of The Children’S Academic Motivation Inventory, Kevin Hughes

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to develop and provide construct validation evidence for the Children’s Academic Motivation Inventory (CAMI). The CAMI, the junior Index of Motivation Scale (JIM Scale), and the Children’s Social Desirability Scale (CSDS) were administered to 534 sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students. Additionally, teacher assigned math grades; total math and total reading scores from the Kentucky Essential skills test (KEST); and the Cognitive Skills Index (CSI) from the Test of Cognitive Skills were obtained for each participant. Principal-components factor analysis with varimax rotation performed on the CAMI items produced essentially one factor, entitled academic achievement motivation. …

Development Of The Parent - Child Situation Scale: A Measure Of Parental Attributions Toward Handicapped Children's Behavior, Lonnie Sears

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Parent - Child Situation Scale (PCSS) was developed to measure parental attributions toward handicapped children's behavior. The PCSS was administered to mothers of handicapped children. The final version of the scale possessed good reliability. Coefficient alphas for the PCSS were .74 for the internal - external attribution subscale, .70 for the stable - unstable subscale, and .72 for the global - specific subscale. Factor analysis of the PCSS revealed three factors corresponding to the three attribution types. The internal - external subscale's validity was supported. The other two subscales, however, appeared to have only moderate validity. Responses of college …

The Effects Of Time-Compression On Recall Utilizing A Videotape Presentation, William Edmiston Jr.

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Three population samples of college students were found to be similar on two stratifying variables, general intelligence and knowledge of conditioning principles, before viewing a time-compressed or non-compressed videotape presentation. The amount of unprompted information recalled did not differ significantly between the time-compressed and non-compressed treatment conditions. Additionally, neither treatment condition differed significantly on a multiple-choice posttest, although both groups did differ significantly from a control group that did not view the videotape. No significant difference was found between the time-compressed and non-compressed groups on their ratings of Quality of Narrator, Interest Level of Topic, and Overall Quality of Videotape …

Effect Of Television Programming And Advertising On Alcohol Consumption In Normal Drinkers, Linda C. Sobell, Mark B. Sobell, Diane M. Riley, Felix Klajner, Gloria I. Leo, Daniel Pavan, Anthony Cancilla

Faculty Articles

The drinking behavior of 96 male normal drinking college students was assessed after they viewed a videotape of a popular prime-time television program complete with advertisements. Different versions of the videotape were used to evaluate the effects of a television program with and without alcohol scenes as crossed with the effects of three different types of advertisements (i.e., beer, nonalcoholic beverages and food). After viewing the videotape, the subjects, who were led to believe that they were participating in two separate and unrelated sets of experimental procedures, were asked to perform a taste rating of light beers, which actually provided …

Finding Clinical Internships In Rural Settings: A Survey And Report, Jefferson A. Singer, Steven Heyman

Psychology Faculty Publications

Summarizes survey of American Psychological Association accredited clinical internships to determine extent of involvement with rural clients and opportunities for rural clinical/community work. Tables include list and brief description of 19 clinical internship programs with rural placements and 28 names and addresses for clinical internships with rural components.

A Study Of Cognitive Variables Associated With Achievement Among A Gifted Population, Sharon R. Coty-Kieta

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between specific cognitive variables and classroom achievement among a gifted population. The participants included 389 students in grades five eight enrolled in the Gifted and Talented Education program in a Southcentral Kentucky School district. An experimenter-developed teacher rating scale was used to document classroom achievement, the criterion variable. The predictor variables were (a) locus of control, as measured by the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Scale; (b) the ability to clearly express thoughts and the elaboration, fluency, flexibility, originally, and organization of those thoughts, as measured by the Prose Quantification System; (c) …

The Effects Of Individual-Team Training Versus Group-Team Training On Group Task Performance, David Rivkin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Organizations utilize groups frequently and extensively for problem solving and decision making. Research results indicate that training in group decision making improves the performance of groups on a variety of decision -making tasks (Erffmeyer & Lane, 1984; Hall & Williams, 1970; Nemiroff, Passmore, & Ford, 1976). Despite the heavy reliance of organizations on teams and the benefits of training in group decision making, there is a scarcity of research investigating the proper instructional mode (i.e., individual versus team) for group decision-making training (Denson, 1981; Goldstein, 1986). The results of studies investigating this problem have been inconclusive (Goldstein, 1986). Support has …

A New Measure Of Mature Religiosity, James A. Croxton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In this study, a new measure of mature religiosity was created. One hundred and fifty students were administered an 80 item scale based upon a consensus meaning of mature religiosity. The results of this administration were factor analyzed. Seven First Order Factors and two Second Order Factors emerged which could be adequately assessed by 50 of the 80 item. The revised 50 item scale was administered to 130 students. During the same administration, the students also responded to measures of personal maturity (Dogmatism Scale, Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, Social Desirability Scale) and other measures of mature religiosity (Intrinsic-Extrinsic Religious …

A Comparison Of Oral & Written Verbal Expressions Of Creative Thinking Using The Prose Quantification System, Renee Lane

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to compare oral and written expressions of creative thinking which took the form of prose, e.g. stories. The Prose Quantification System (PQS) was the instrument of comparison. The PQS is an instrument developed to predict teachers' ratings of the creative quality of written prose. The study investigated the following: (a) interjudge agreement and intrajudge stability for oral and written stories, (b) Teacher Ratings of Story Creativity (TRSC) of oral and written stories, (c) alternate mode (i.e., oral vs. written) equivalence and (d) criterion validity of the PQS.

PQS story-starters (unfinished opening lines to a …

School Of Psychology Spring Schedule 1986, Nova University

CPS Postgraduate Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Designing Idea Processors For Document Composition, Ronald Thomas Kellogg

Psychological Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

This article details three difficulties encountered during the prewriting and drafting stages of document preparation and describes computer aids designed for each difficulty. Writers experience problems in planning ideas and translating ideas into text because of attentional overload, inability to generate useful ideas, and affective interference. Idea processors are programs that perform various functions to assist with generating and organizing ideas so they can be communicated successfully in a written document. Among other things, an idea processor can serve as a funnel for attention, an inventor of ideas, or therapist for emotional hindrance. The article reviews existing programs that function …

Variations In Radial Maze Performance Under Different Levels Of Food And Water Deprivation, Robert H.I. Dale, William A. Roberts

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Four groups of rats were tested on an eight-arm radial maze under a free-choice procedure. The subjects were maintained at either 80% or 100% of their preexperimental free-feeding weights through restricted access to either food or water. Water-deprived subjects received water in the maze; food-deprived subjects received food. Water-deprived subjects learned the task faster than food-deprived subjects. The four groups developed different response patterns. These were measured by the mean transition size, the average angular distance (in 45° units) between consecutively chosen arms. Rats foraging for food and water developed different search strategies, with water-deprived subjects exhibiting lower mean transition …

Increasing Community Recycling With Persuasive Communication And Public Commitment, Shawn M. Burn, Stuart Oskamp

Psychology and Child Development

Persuasive communication and public commitment were used to encourage recycling in a citywide program. The persuasive communication was a combination of factors which have been found by laboratory researchers to produce attitude and/ or behavior change. The public commitment manipulation involved signing a statement supportive of recycling. Households which did not recycle during a 6- week baseline period were selected for experimental study. Trained Boy Scouts made an oral informational statement and then gave each of 201 experimental households one of three treatments (a written persuasive communication, public commitment, or both). A control group of 132 homes received no treatment. …

Dietary Characteristics Of Hyperactive And Control Boys, Mark L. Wolraich, Phyllis J. Stumbo, Richard Milich, Catherine Chenard, Frederick Schultz

Psychology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between dietary habits and behavioral problems in hyperactive boys and to determine how successful parents are in maintaining their children on sugar-free diets. The mothers of 32 hyperactive boys aged 7 to 12 years and 26 matched controls completed 3-day diet records and food frequency interviews. The hyperactive boys were also evaluated in a playroom for impulsivity, compliance, attention, motor activity, memory, and learning. No differences were found in any of the measures of dietary content between the hyperactive and control groups. The only significant differences between those two groups …

Issues In The Diagnosis Of Attention Deficit Disorder: A Cautionary Note On The Gordon Diagnostic System, Richard Milich, William E. Pelham, Stephen P. Hinshaw

Psychology Faculty Publications

In a recent paper Gordon (1986) has compared the strengths and weaknesses of traditional microcomputer-based assessment of attention deficit disorder (ADD) with those offered by the Gordon Diagnostic System (GDS; Gordon & McClure 1983; 1984). Not surprisingly, although careful not to overstate the case, he finds GDS to be an improvement over the use of standard microcomputers. Nevertheless, several of his criticisms of microcomputers seem forced, and he tends to downplay some of the more serious concerns associated with the GDS. Given that the GDS is receiving widespread attention, with nationwide marketing procedures underway, it seems fitting to examine its …

Spatial And Temporal Response Patterns On The Eight-Arm Radial Maze, Robert H.I. Dale

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Six maze-experienced hooded rats were timed during five trials on which they collected water from all arms of an eight-arm radial maze, then made five more choices. All subjects frequently exhibited a “task-completion pause:” The subjects rarely spent more than 1 sec in the center of the maze between choices until they had entered all eight arms, then stopped in the center of the maze. In contrast, the time spent in each arm gradually increased until all of the water had been obtained, then decreased slightly. Four subjects began every trial by choosing eight consecutive adjacent arms. The task-completion pause …

Another Style Of Competence: The Caregiving Child, Carolyn P. Edwards

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

This chapter discusses child and sibling caregiving as an opportunity for the learning of nurturance and responsibility. The argument is based on case examples from ethnographic material, that children in multiage dyads or groupings negotiate constantly with one another and thereby reveal their reasoning about rational and conventional moral rules. The observational material is drawn from the work of Carol R. Ember (1970, 1973) who studied children in a Luo community of about 250 people in the South Nyanza district of Kenya. This community, referred to as Oyugis (actually the name of the market town 2.5 miles away, is one …

Cross‑Cultural Research On Kohlberg's Stages: The Basis For Consensus, Carolyn P. Edwards

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Kohlberg’s stage theory has been met by many theoretical statements attempting to refute aspects of his conclusions or claims about cultural universality. Equally of importance, the theoretical controversy has stimulated much empirical research intended to test the cross-cultural claims. This chapter reviews the status and current progress of comparative studies of moral judgment and addresses the following three questions: Is the dilemma interview method a valid way of eliciting the moral judgments of people in other cultures? Is the standard scoring system appropriate and valid for cross-cultural use? Is cognitive-developmental theory useful for understanding psychological development in comparative cultural perspective? …

Common Methodological Fundaments Of The Analytic Procedures In Phenomenological And Psychoanalytic Research, Fred J. Wertz

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Ten-Year Consistency In Neurological Test Performance Of Children Without Focal Neurological Deficit, Stephen Q. Shafer, Cornelius Stokman, David Shaffer, Stephen K-C Ng, Patricia A. O'Connor, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

To assess 'soft-sign' persistence and its correlates outside a referred sample, 159 members of a local birth cohort of the United National Collaborative Perinatal Project were traced and their performance on six neurological test scales was measured at age 17 by examiners blind to their status at age seven. A comparison group was also formed, who had been 'sign-free' at age seven. On four of the six tests (dysdiadochokinesis, mirror movements, dysgraphesthesia and motor slowness) index boys did significantly worse than the comparison boys; by contrast, index girls scored significantly worse than comparisons only on motor slowness.

Effects Of Early Experience Upon Adaptiveness Of Horses, J. C. Heird, R. W. Bell, S. G. Brazier

Equines Collection

Experimentation with laboratory animals, encompassing the range of usual species (mice, rats, cats, clogs, and primates), has conclusively demonstrated that handling by humans during early life facilitates subsequent development in terms of health and viability, reduced emotional reactivity, more adaptive responses to a variety of stressors (both biological and behavioral adaptations), and increased ability to adapt to changing circumstances as exemplified by increased ability to learn and solve problems (seeM. Bornstein 1985, for recent review).

Two studies (described below) (Heircl et a!. 1981; Whitaker 1982) conducted at Texas Tech University (TTU) have extended these findings regarding the beneficial effects of …

Social Ecology And Behavior Of Coyotes, Marc Bekoff, Michael C. Wells

Ethology Collection

Behavioral patterns are subject to natural selection and behavior like any other attributes of an animal, which contributes to individual survival. The chapter summarizes a long-term study of coyotes that was conducted in the Grand Teton National Park, in the northwest comer of Wyoming. There is remarkable agreement in the results stemming from a limited number of field projects concerned with the social behavior and behavioral ecology of coyotes, and some general principles concerning social ecology, scent marking, predatory behavior, time budgeting, and reproductive and care-giving patterns can be developed that are applicable not only to coyotes but to many …

Hunting And The Evolution Of Human Intelligence: An Alternative View, Maxine Sheets-Johnstone

Intelligence Collection

No abstract provided.

Review Of Children's Language Vol. 4, Edited By Keith E. Nelson, Leslie Rescorla

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Accuracy Of Beliefs About Retrieval Cues, Paula T. Hertel, L. J. Anooshian, P. W. Ashbrook

Psychology Faculty Research

We investigated the accuracy of predictions about semantic, environmental, and phonological cues for remembering. Subjects rated the pleasantness of 10 words in each of four rooms, predicted the number of words that they would recall with and without one of the three types of cues, and then were tested for free or cued recall. Consistent with their predictions, subjects who received semantic cues recalled more words than did subjects in the free-recall group. The subjects in the other cuing conditions did not benefit from the cues; furthermore, they overestimated the value of phonological cues, and they believed that environmental cues …