Digital Commons Network^™

Uni- And Bidimensional Concept Learning As A Function Of Age, C. Jean Rogers

Psychology ETDs

Dimensional attention in six- and nine-year-olds was assessed by the use of two concept identification tasks which allowed either a uni- or bidimensional solution. It was expected that the older children would be more likely to attain a bidimensional solution. The results did not confirm this prediction. A subsequent analysis of solution strategies revealed that a primary strategy or both age groups was to learn two values from a single dimension, one which predicted positive instances and one which predicted negative instance. If Ss were presented with a task where this strategy was unsuccessful, they tended to adopt one of …

The Stimulus Properties Of Change In Magnitude Of Reinforcement., James E. Schroeder

Psychology ETDs

The major purpose of the present experiment was to demonstrate the incentive and discriminative stimulus (SD) properties of a change in magnitude of reinforcement. This was accomplished in a differential instrumental conditioning setting by correlating carious shifts in magnitude of reinforcement (and, therefore, incentive) on the discriminative stimulus trial (trial SD) with magnitude of reward on the next trial (trials SD+1). In condition LL a large reinforcement on trial SD was perfectly correlated with large reward on trial SD+1. Thus, incentive and the discrimination worked together to increase rate of responding on trials SE+1 relative to trial SD. In condition …

The Effect Of The Intersession Interval Upon Avoidance Responding In A Free Operant Two Lever Escape-Avoidance Procedure, John Michael Mccarthy

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Learning-Set Acquisition In Pigeons, Stephen A. Daniel

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Test As A Delayed Contingency For Acquiring Elementary Textual Behavior In A Classroom Setting For Trainable Retardates, Eugene A. Kaprowy

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Imitative Behavior In Japanese Quail, Frank Joseph Unger

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Schedule-Induced Polydipsia And Operant Licking: Effects Of Chlorpromazine, Methamphetamine And Secobarbital, Paul Tobin Maginnis

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Managerial Success And Personality Traits Of Self-Actualization, Louis H. Ballenger

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Diagonal Band Of Broca Lesions Upon Pain-Elicited Fighting And Water Intake, David A. Nolley

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effectiveness Of Two Classes Of Verbal Reinforcement On The Performance Of Second-, Fifth-, And Eighth-Grade Children, Douglas D. Settles

Student Work

The effects of two classes of verbal reinforcers, correctness and social, were examined among 108 second-, fifth-, and eighthgrade, middle-class children. The effectiveness of verbal reinforcement. was measured by a change in the S's response preference on a marble-sorting task. Results of the study were (a) that there were no initial age differences in the magnitude or direction of the baserate responses, (b) that correctness reinforcement was more rewarding across all levels of age than social approval, (c) that for eighth-grade Ss, correctness reinforcers were significantly more rewarding than either social or no reinforcement, and (d) that a post hoc …

The Effects Of Novel Stimuli In The Discrimination Learning Of Children, Evelyn W. Francis

Psychology ETDs

While it has been demonstrated that stimulus novelty has a variety of influences upon the behavior of children, there has been little systematic research on the effects of stimulus novelty upon discrimination learning. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of relevant stimulus novelty, defined in terms of familiarization pretraining, on the discrimination learning of normal children. First and second grade children learned either a high or low stimulus similarity, two-choice, discrimination problem. Prior to this discrimination task the subjects received either no familiarization (C) or 15 familiarization training trials with the negative stimulus(NF), positive stimulus (PF), both the …

State-Dependent Learning As A Function Of The Temporal Relationship Between Noncontingent Footshock And Electroconvulsive Shock, T. Scott Shutt

All Master's Theses

Rats were given a noncontingent footshock followed at various intervals by electroconvulsive shock. Twentyfour hours later they were trained on a non-shock passive avoidance task and tested for retention 72 hours later. When the interval between NCFS and ECS was short the animals showed an amnesia which reduced as the interval was lengthened. An interval of .5 seconds produced the most pronounced amnesia and intervals greater than 10 seconds produced virtually no amnesia. The results were consistent with a state dependent retrieval failure hypothesis.

The Facilitative Role Of Response Contingent Exteroceptive Feedback In A Discriminated Wheel Turn Avoidance Task, Barbara Ballin Lerman

Psychology ETDs

Four groups of 8 hooded rats were conditioned to avoid shock by turning a wheel in the presence of either a single or compound warning signal, and with or without an exteroceptive feedback stimulus contingent upon each response. Group L received a single light CS and no feedback stimulus; group L + C, a compound CS composed of lights and click, and no FS; group L + FS, a light CS and a FS; and group L + C + FS, a light and click CS and a FS. A response contingent exteroceptive feedback stimulus significantly improved level of avoidance …

Ames Trapezoid Illusion: A New Model, Daniel Robert Kelly

Dissertations and Theses

Current explanations for the Ames Trapezoid Illusion are based upon the the absence of cues: the illusion is said to occur at chance. A review of recent literature showed that: (a) the illusion varies in frequency as a function of target shape (b) that the dominant cue to reduce the frequency of the illusion is the variant in retinal height. Based upon the dominance of this cue a new model was presented. Following this model it was hypothesized that observers viewing partial rotation when the target produces the greatest difference in the retinal height of the ends would determine the …

The Electrophysiological Correlates Of Learning In The Developing Kitten, A. Derick Dalhouse

Student Work

The objectives of this experiment were (a) to study the development of classical conditioning in the kitten using light as the conditioned stimulus (CS) , shock as the unconditioned stimulus (US), and leg flexion as the conditioned response; (b) to investigate physiological correlates of learning during the development of classical conditioning such as visual evoked responses (VER), visual following (VF), electrocardiogram (EKG), and galvanic skin response (GSR); and (c) to ascertain the relationship, during development, between physiological and behavioral changes associated with conditioning.

Four kittens were exposed to two classical conditioning paradigms. Two Ss received a continuous 10 sec. light …

Favorability As Influenced By Frequency Of Exposure To Black And White College Seniors, Michael R. Baum

Student Work

Zajonc's (1968) "mere exposure" effect was replicated by measuring change in favorability toward black and white college seniors. Following a preexperimental selection of the five most neutral slides for each race by sex category, 40 experimental and 40 control group subjects rated ten black and ten white slides on a pre- and a posttest. The experimental treatment consisted of ten exposure sequences of the 20 slides, whereas the control group performed an inverted alphabet printing task. A repeated measures analysis of variance, conducted on the subjects, favorability ratings for both the pre- and the posttests, supported the hypothesis that a …

Favorability As A Function Of Exposure, Race, And Initial Affective Rating, Kenneth W. Nikels

Student Work

Zajonc (1968) proposed that repeated exposure to a stimulus is a sufficient condition for the enhancement of an attitude toward it. The "mere exposure" hypothesis is of such generality that it has many far-reaching implications, one of which is the consequences of biracial experiences. Integration of schools, housing, and employment all seem to be partially based upon Zajonc's hypothesis, as are Black Studies courses and Black media exposure. The underlying assumption of each of these examples is, in part, that biracial exposure will produce more favorable racial attitudes.

Group Discussion Versus Persuasive Speech In Changing Behavior, George J. Sullivan

Student Work

There has been much research concerning attitude change, but few studies examining concomitant changes in behavior. Those studies that have studied behavioral changes have produced inconsistent results The present study was directed at exploring the relationship between different methods of changing behavior. Forty-six undergraduate students were assigned to either a control, persuasive speech, general discussion, or problem-solving discussion conditions. Experimental conditions were measured by two dependent variables: the number of volunteers (behavioral intention) and appearance at a meeting the following day (overt behavior). With regard to behavioral intentions, persuasive speech did not differ from controls; both types of discussion were …

Observer Validity, Riley C. Worthy

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The accuracy of data recorded by eight different observers over five observational tasks was investigated. The measures collected by each observer were compared with criterion values for each task. In addition, a coefficient of reliability was found for each observer by comparing his performance with that of the group. The results showed that the accuracy of observer recorded data was within the limits of acceptability and that the correlation between reliability and accuracy was moderately high.

Duration Of State-Dependent Learning Induced By Ncfs-Ecs, Larry Wayne Morris

All Master's Theses

This paper investigated the course of the state-dependent function induced by NCFS-ECS at 24 hr. time intervals, beginning at 24 or 48 hrs. after NCFS-ECS treatment and terminating at 120 hrs. Results of both experiments indicate a state-dependent effect lasting up to 72 hrs., was absent at the 96 hr. retention test but, apparently returned by the 120 hr. retention test. Recommendations included investigation of fixed time intervals after the 120 hr. retention test.

The Effects Of Step Size, Mode Of Response And Student Ability On Programmed Learning, Thomas Mackie

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Survey Of Psychological Services Available To Two-Year Community College Students, Alice Hildrebrandt North

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Acquisition Of A Complex Concept In Pigeons, James W. Siddall

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Concentric And Eccentric Biting And Biceps Muscle Contraction On Absolute Auditory Threshold, Roland A. Sauer

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Galvanic Skin Response As A Function Of Evaluative Message Content, Mode Of Transmission, And Personality Traits, Richard W. Robinson

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Several Chemical Agents On Short Term Memory, Michael J. Bedecs

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Daily Quizzes With Review And Rededial Quizzes And Examination Performance, Mary Collamer Hubbard

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Daily Quizzes On Hour Examination Performance In A Junior Level Psychology Course, Rose Marie Hesse

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Into The Relationship Between Student Grades And Parental Attitude Towards The Teacher, Jerry C. Fritts

All Master's Theses

Realizing that the parents play an important role in the total educational process, the primary purpose of this study is to determine if there is a relationship between student grades and parental attitude toward the teacher. It is contended that there is a relationship manifesting itself in the form of a positive correlation and it behooves those in education to do something to cultivate an atmosphere more conducive to educational success. Developing a mutual respect and willingness for cooperation between home and the teacher would serve to greatly enhance a child's educational experience. Another purpose of this study is to …

The Relationship Of Dogmatism And Internal-External Control To Psychological Reactance, Edward J. Schau

All Master's Theses

One hundred ninety-two Introductory Psychology students volunteered for credit to complete the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale and the Rotter I/E Scale. The students were also asked to fill out a questionnaire, obstensibly from the administration, asking them to rate the favorability of the first five periods of the day on a scale of 1-100. Two weeks later 94 of the above students, serving as controls, were asked to fill out the identical questionnaire again. They were told that the previous ones had been lost. The 98 remaining students, serving as experimental subjects, received additional information. E said that he had heard …