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Myers-Briggs Personality Types In Chronic Pain Patients, Linda S. Mckee-Mcalpin

Student Work

This study uses the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to examine the possibility that there are personality types that are more likely to cope maladaptively, and experience the syndrome of chronic pain, when they are faced with an injury or pain which results in unexpected life changes.

The Chronic Pain sample in this study scored significantly higher than a Normal sample in their preference for Introversion, Sensing and Judging and were significantly more likely to be the personality types ISFJ or ISTJ.

This study also examines the relationship between MMPI depression scores and Myers-Briggs Introversion scores and the results tend to confirm …

Social Processes In Work Groups: A Model Of The Effect Of Involvement, Credibility, And Goal Linkage On Training Success, Catherine S. Clark

Doctoral Dissertations

The effect of social processes in the work group on training has not been systematically studied. A model is proposed that considers the influence of pre-training social processes and supervisor credibility on expected training utility, training motivation and learning.

Survey data were collected before and after training in organizations from a large southern metropolitan area. Social process variables include group goal linkage, expected supervisor and work group training transfer climates, and involvement in training decision. In addition, job involvement and supervisor credibility were assessed. Dependent variables included expected job and career utility of training, motivation to take training, and learning. …

Effect Of Regularly Scheduled Class Meetings On The Self Concept Of Emotionally Disturbed Adolescent Males, Nola R. Whirlow

Student Dissertations & Theses

The effect of regularly scheduled class meetings on the self concept and academic performance of emotionally disturbed adolescent males was investigated. Twelve boys, ranging in age from twelve to fifteen participated in the study. The Tennessee Self Concept Scale was administered to the subjects in the control group (n=6) and the experimental group (n=6) at the beginning and again at the end of a six month treatment period. During the treatment period, the experimental group participated in bi-weekly class meetings held for the following purposes: 1) to compliment each other, 2) to help each other, 3) to solve problems, and …

The Effects Of A Reinforcer On Behavior Maintained By A Second External Reinforcer, Jeanne Marie Lamere

Masters Theses

A number of studies has shown that providing extrinsic rewards for performing an "intrinsically interesting" task decreases an individual's subsequent interest in that task when the rewards are no longer available (e.g., Deci, 1971, 1972; Lepper, Greene, & Nisbett, 1973). Based on these results, many have argued that extrinsic rewards decrease an individual's "intrinsic motivation." A fundamental premise of this argument is that "extrinsic" and "intrinsic motivation" are functionally different, a distinction that is not supported by a behavioral analysis. This study examined whether similar subsequent decrements in task performance would be observed when a behavior is maintained by one …

The Relationship Between The Mbti And A Values Conflict Resolution, Marti B. George

Master's Theses

This study investigated the relationship between Jungian type personality dimensions and an intrapersonal values conflict resolution. Seventy subjects filled out the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) which assesses the sixteen Jungian personality types. Subjects returned in approximately two weeks to complete the Values Conflict Resolution Assessment (VCRA) which assesses the degree of their resolution about a particular values conflict. It was hypothesized that the thinking-feeling function of mind would positively correlate with scores on the Ethical-Emotional subscale and negatively correlate with scores on the Rational-Behavioral subscale of the VCRA. The result did not confirm our hypotheses. Reliablilty and a principal components …

How Work Experience Affects Personnel Selection, Donna T. Klein

Masters Theses

The literature concerning how work experience affects personnel selection for recent college graduates is reviewed and found to be unimpressive. This present study was designed to analyze employers' perceptions of work experience when considering recent college graduates for employment. A survey consisting of three resumes was reviewed by 56 small businesses (employing 100 or fewer people). The three resumes differed with respect to one of the part-time jobs: an internship, work related to field of study, or non-related work experience. The results showed that an internship was consistently rated better at the 0.05 level over related/nonintern and non-related work experiences. …

Stimulus-Specific And Stimulus-Nonspecific Reinforcement: Effects On Tact Training With Severely Mentally Impaired Young Adults, Steven J . Braam

Dissertations

The effects of specific or similar physical properties between discriminative stimuli and reinforcers in tact training were studied. Stimulus-specific reinforcement and stimulus-nonspecific reinforcement conditions were compared using a matched-groups design. When subjects correctly tacted in the former condition, the experimenter gave reinforcers with identical physical properties to the training stimuli. When subjects correctly tacted in the latter condition, the experimenter delivered reinforcers with different physical properties from the nonverbal training stimulus.

The subjects demonstrated no overall differences in learning trials. Only one subject, trained with stimulus- specific reinforcement learned tacts in consistently fewer trials than his counterpart trained with stimulus-nonspecific …

The Effects Of Relapse Prevention Training On Exercise Adherence, Sandra Beaty

Dissertations

Behavioral techniques have proven effective in the acquisition and maintenance of new behaviors. However, health related behaviors, such as exercise, pose a special problem for the field of behavior change in that they require long-term lifestyle changes. This study assessed the effectiveness of relapse prevention training on exercise adherence within the framework of a formal exercise program. There were 20 subjects in the experimental group and 20 subjects in the control group. Both groups met for three, one-hour sessions weekly for eight consecutive weeks. Exercise class attendance was recorded by the instructor. In addition, the Physical Activity Index (PAI, n.d., …

Generalization Of Promise-Do Correspondence Training With Respect To The Individual To Whom The Promise Is Made, Robert J. Latka

Masters Theses

This study used 3 subjects of normal (non-impaired) intelligence, 1 female and 2 males, between the ages of 10 and 13 years to study generalization of promise-do correspondence training effects. In a replicated AE design, contingent monetary reinforcers were used to establish promise-do correspondence in playing nonpreferred computer games. This study demonstrated that the effects of correspondence training procedures could be generalized to an alternative listener or individual to whom the promise was made. Generalization was less evident when there was no listener present. This study also provided some evidence that effects of promise-do correspondence training may not generalize to …

Picture Viewing As A Test Of Attention To Food And Body Image Cues In Restrained Versus Nonrestrained Eaters, Sally Rose Brinza

Theses and Dissertations

Restrained eaters, those who chronically and severely restrict food intake in order to lose weight, are thought to exhibit thoughts and behaviors similar to those seen in semi-starved and eating disordered (bulimic and anorexic) individuals. A paradoxical tendency to overeat once food restraint is disinhibited has been noted in restrainers. Food and body weight preoccupation and hyperresponsiveness to external food cues have been hypothesized to occur in restrained individuals; however the literature reports conflicting results and these factors have not been thoroughly investigated. Cognitive factors which differentiate restrained eaters from nonrestrained eaters may affect information processing.

The purpose of this …

Applying The Matching Law In A Sheltered Workshop, Kristin Elizabeth Skousgard

Masters Theses

This study assessed the validity of the matching law in an applied setting. It manipulated extraneous reinforcement and measured the rate of rocking in a 24-year-old developmentally disabled man. The resulting data were compared to that predicted by the matching law.

The results were important in three ways: (1) extraneous reinforcement systematically affected rocking in an applied setting in the manner predicted by the matching law, (2) a clinically undesirable behavior decreased in frequency, and (3) this decrease occurred in the absence of direct intervention on the target behavior. Thus, to a slight degree, scientific, practical and humanitarian goals were …

Within-Subject And Between-Subjects Evaluation Of The Effects Of Hallucinogenic Drugs In Pigeons Responding Under Two Variations Of A Fixed-Consecutive-Number Schedule, Rodney D. Clark

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was twofold: To determine the effects of LSD (0.03 - 1.0 mg/kg), mescaline (0.3 - 5.6 mg/kg), and DMT (0.3 - 3.0 mg/kg) on the performance of pigeons under two variants on an FCN schedule and to determine whether these effects differed substantially as a result of experimental design (i.e., within subject or between-subjects). Under this schedule, food was delivered whenever subjects responded between eight and 12 times on one response key (work key), then responded once on a second key (reinforcement key). Under one version, (FCN-S^D), an external discriminative stimulus was correlated with …

The Effects Of Accountability Procedures On The Productivity Of Academic Performance Contractors In An Academic Support Program, Brian Delano Yancey

Dissertations

The purpose of the research was to evaluate the effects of accountability procedures on the productivity of performance managers in an academic support program. The contractors were responsible for supporting the academic performance of high-risk students enrolled in a one-credit-hour self-management course. The contractors awarded students points that counted toward their self-management course grade when the students produced assignments of value in their content courses. Prior research had shown that students sometimes performed poorly in the self-management course and that the contractors were often unsuccessful in helping these students improve their grades. Consequently, the experimenter speculated that the amount of …

Conformity, Attitude Toward Authority, And Social Class, Alison Carol Welter

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the relationship between attitudes toward authority, identification with authority and conformity in relation to authority in American undergraduate college students. The study consisted of two parts. The first part examined correlates of attitudes toward authority according to social class. Undergraduate college students attending Portland State University comprised the samples in which two groups, a middle-class group and a working-class group of equal sizes (n=63), were formed. A relatively new, standardized measure of attitudes toward institutional authority, the GAIAS (Rigby, 1982), was used to measure orientation toward authority by social class. No significant differences in attitudes toward authority …

Maternal Employment, Marital Status, And Religiosity And The Social Adaptational Status Of First Grade Children In Selected Oregon Schools, Grace Peng-Mi Chew

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study attempted to examine whether certain maternal variables (i.e., maternal employment, marital status, and religiosity) could be used to accurately predict first-graders' social adaptational status (SAS), as measured by the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation Scale (TOCA).

One-hundred-and-fifty volunteering mothers (or mother surrogates) and their first-grade child(ren) participated in this study. Familial and individual data were obtained through a structured mother interview. The participating children's teachers rated the children's SAS on the TOCA during the 9th and 15th weeks of the academic school year. Five Christian-oriented private schools and two public schools participated in this study.

Comparison Of Two Behavioral Models In Obesity Treatment, Nina Lucille Dominy

Dissertations and Theses

This study compared the results of two methods of behavioral treatment in combination with a very-low-calorie-diet in the treatment of obesity. Subjects were 28 male and 106 female patients admitted to the medically supervised fasting program at Risk Factor Clinic in Portland, Oregon. Subjects were matched by gender, percent over ideal body weight, and age. Subject group I received a smorgasbord of behavioral techniques from various group leaders in a 60-minute weekly session. Presentation was didactic and theoretical and subjects were accountable to themselves for utilization of the techniques. Subject group II participated in 90-minute weekly sessions with a primary …

Perceptions Of Fairness In The Frustration Effect: An Attributional Analysis, David T. Van Dyke

Student Work

Theories of both distributive (Adams, 1963) and procedural justice (Thibaut & Walker, 1975) have been demonstrated to be accurate in describing subjective evaluations of fairness in a wide variety of circumstances. However, a phenomenon known as the frustration effect (e.g. Folger, 1977) results in perceptions of fairness that are incongruent with the predictions of these two theories. This study attempts to explain the discrepant results in terms of attribution theory as it was proposed by Weiner (1985). By manipulating and measuring the attributions made by subjects, the attributional explanation was tested. The results of this experiment were not supportive of …

A Comparison Of Circadian Rhythms In Day And Night Shift Workers, Mary Lee Blood

Dissertations and Theses

The present study examined whether and to what extent physiological rhythms of long-term night workers become adapted to their unconventionally scheduled hours of work and sleep and how the degree of adaptation would be reflected in ratings of sleep quality, mood, anxiety, energy and satisfaction.

The Effectiveness Of Cognitive-Behavioral Anger Management Group In Reducing Measured Attitudes Of Aggression, Nathaniel B. Thomas

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study was designed to analyze the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral anger management class available to both voluntary and probation-mandated clients from the general public. Clients enrolled in the existing 8 week program were asked to complete the Interpersonal Behavior Survey (IBS) on a pre/post treatment basis (N=36). The program curriculum is similar to Novaco's (1975) anger treatment in which clients prepare themselves for potential anger provocation by developing personal competence. A comparison group (N=41) was developed with a pre/post administration of the IBS at an eight week interval. Analysis of covariance and analysis of treatment effects were used to …

The Effectiveness Of Cognitive-Behavioral Anger Management Group In Reducing Measured Attitudes Of Aggression, Nathaniel B. Thomas

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study was designed to analyze the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral anger management class available to both voluntary and probation-mandated clients from the general public. Clients enrolled in the existing 8 week program were asked to complete the Interpersonal Behavior Survey (IBS) on a pre/post treatment basis (N=36). The program curriculum is similar to Novaco's (1975) anger treatment in which clients prepare themselves for potential anger provocation by developing personal competence. A comparison group (N=41) was developed with a pre/post administration of the IBS at an eight week interval. Analysis of covariance and analysis of treatment effects were used to …

The Effect Of Psychotherapy On Spiritual Well-Being And Depression In Outpatient Adults, Thomas Wilson Renfroe Jr.

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

In recent years the efficacy of psychotherapy has undergone scrutiny; research has sought to find the client, therapist, and therapy factors that induce positive outcomes in therapy. Religious variables, however, have not been extensively investigated. Religious values, as well as psychiatric symptoms, are altered by participation in psychotherapy. Therefore, a study to assess whether psychotherapy alters psychiatric symptoms and religious variables was needed. This investigation examined depression, as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and a general measure of spiritual health, as represented by the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWB) . Data was collected at the beginning of treatment and …

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of Two Competing Social Power Measurement Systems, Joseph E. Criqui

Dissertations and Theses

The main purpose of this study is to analyze a measurement instrument developed by Frost & Stahelski (1988) to measure French & Raven's (1959) bases of social power. The measurement instrument of a competing typology of social influence tactics (Kipnis, Schmidt, & Wilkinson, 1980) was also administered to the same managerial population (N=108). Confirmatory factor analyses using LISREL (Joreskog & Sorbom, 1986) were performed on each scale. Possible relationships between the two typologies were explored. Results include confirming a modified Frost & Stahelski scale and no confirmation of the Kipnis et al. scale. Canonical correlation yielded two dimensions where Coercive …

At-Risk Students' Reports Of Teachers' Instructional Behavior, Virginia E. Rios

Student Dissertations & Theses

This study investigated secondary teachers' instructional behavior from the at-risk students' perspective. The research concentrated on three areas— teaching styles, teacher encouragement, and homework assignments. A series of interviews with at-risk students yielded the following results: When dealing with at-risk students (1) most teachers use only two of four modalities (auditory and visual) in their teaching approach, (2) teachers do not encourage these students, and (3) teachers assign homework less than half of the time. When homework is assigned it is completed by students approximately half of the time.

The Effect Of Family Environment And Medication On Peer Relations Of Adhd Children, Kay D. Congdon

Master's Theses

This study examined the influence of family functioning and medication on the peer relations of ADHD children. Experiment 1 focused on parental functioning -- patterns of parenting, stress and conflict, and parental psychopathology -- and how these variables affected ADHD children's peer relations. Experiment 2 examined the effects of Ritalin on peer relations in ADHD children. In Experiment 1, pervasive ADHD (PADHD) and situational ADHD (SADHD) children were assessed for peer relations, family management, family stress, and parental psychopathology. Significant differences were found between mothers of PADHD children and mothers of SADHD children in the Stress Analysis System (Accountability and …

A Theoretical Integration Of Robert Kegan's Developmental Psychology And Heinz Kohut's Self Psychology, Wilmar Vanderpol

Dissertations

Theory and research about psychological development tends to be dichotomized into two broad approaches that have never been integrated. The one is Piagetian-based cognitive-developmentalism, and the other is Freudian-based psychoanalytic developmentalism. The first predominates in academic research and application and the second in clinical research and therapy. This dissertation is a theoretical integration of the Piagetian-based theory of Robert Kegan with the Freudian-based theory of Heinz Kohut known as self psychology. A rationale for the integration of these two theories is given, along with an overview of each theory with respect to their developmental aspects. Analysis of their respective basic …

Gender Difference In Emotionally Disturbed Children, Jane M. Beaulieu

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the consequences to emotionally disturbed elementary school girls of being in the minority in self-contained classes for emotionally disturbed children. This study was conducted in MISII (Modified Instructional Service II) classes, primarily for the emotionally disturbed, in the New York City Public Schools. The ratio of boys to girls was 6.5 to 1. A survey was distributed to teachers of such classes with at least one girl attending. Part 1 of the survey consisted of 36 statements on the following topics indicated by the literature as relevant to the situation of girls …

Research And Theory On The Housing And Care Of Laboratory Pigeons And Rats, Dylan David Schmorrow

Masters Theses

This study was an experimental analysis of: (a) housing preference of laboratory pigeons and, (b) the effects of housing on laboratory rat health. Pigeon preference between containment cages and fly cages was determined on the basis of exit time from the containment cage to the fly cage. Rat health was determined by the departmental veterinarian. The rats were exposed to traditional and alternative methods of housing.

The findings from this study indicate that (a) on the basis of pigeons' preferences concerning size, it may be more appropriate to house pigeons in fly cages; and (b) alternative methods of care and …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Differential Behavioral Strategies On Therapeutic Compliance: Making And Keeping Appointments, Shara Johnson

Dissertations

The present research grew out of a larger study, The Transgenerational Project for Parents and Children (TG) (Epps, 1986), which was conducted at the Howard University Child Development Center in Washington, D.C. This study provided the model for simultaneously addressing the needs of parents as well as their preadolescent children who exhibited specific learning disabilities that significantly decreased achievement levels. The present research compares the effectiveness of combining behavioral strategies, which previous research has shown to individually contribute toward enhancing patient compliance, in order to increase parental compliance with referrals for child psychotherapy.

Twenty-one parents or guardians of children whose …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of A Linear And An Exponential Performance-Pay Function On Work Productivity, Shezeen Oah

Dissertations

This study examined how work productivity was affected by the way in which individual monetary incentives were related to performance. Two types of relationships, or performance-pay functions, were compared: a linear function in which a specific per piece incentive was provided for each piece completed in excess of a performance standard and an exponential function in which the amount of the per piece incentive accelerated as productivity increased. Forty college subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two pay conditions. Each subject participated in 15 forty-five minute sessions. Subjects performed a computerized work task that simulated the job of …

Effects Of Performance Feedback And Goal Setting On The Productivity And Satisfaction Of Clerical Workers, Leslie Ann Wilk

Dissertations

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Performance Management (PM) intervention designed to improve the productivity and job satisfaction of clerical employees in a university admissions department. During the first phase of the intervention, supervisors applied a PM program which included an individualized daily goal setting and verbal feedback program. During phase two, graphic display of individual performance levels was added to the goals and verbal feedback program. Productivity was measured via daily self reports of tasks completed. Job satisfaction was assessed by taking measures prior to and following the intervention using the Work …