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The Occurrence Of Alexithymia In Children And Adolescents With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Michael S. Routh

Student Dissertations & Theses

Previous studies of the relationship between alexithymia and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have utilized samples of combat veterans with PTSD. However, children and adolescents who have experienced trauma and are diagnosed with PTSD exhibit similar or identical symptomology. The current study examined alexithymia in a sample of children and adolescents diagnosed with PTSD. It was hypothesized that the sample, when compared to non-PTSD and control samples, would reveal a significantly greater severity of alexithymia and PTSD. Although overall results were not consistent with previous research, trends of group means supported a relationship between alexithymia and PTSD. 1

Parentally Perceived Family Environments Of Children Identified As Attention Deficit-Hyperactive, Tony D. Frazier

Student Dissertations & Theses

Parental perceptions of the family social environment were investigated for the families of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder boys (ADHD) and those families without Attention Deficit Disorder boys (Non-ADHD). Mothers and fathers from forty-four intact families (20 Non-ADHD; 24 ADHD) independently completed the Family Environment Scale (Form Real and Form Ideal), a symptomology checklist, and a parent stress questionnaire. The Family Environment Scale (FES) was used to identify the factors that were unique to the family of the ADHD children. Following the identification of subscale factors, the relationship between the FES factors and the ratings of the child's symptoms were examined. …

Selected Demographic Variables As Predictors Of Moral Development Among George Fox College Students, Joe D. Wood

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The theoretical basis of this research was based on Kohlberg's cognitive model of moral development. Rest's operationalization of principled moral reasoning, Davison's scale score, and Thoma's utilizer score were specifically examined. A predictive relationship between certain demographic variables and the principled moral reasoning and Davison's score have been identified in the research literature. The purpose of this study was to examine further this predictive relationship. The James D. Foster and Beth A. LaForce research project provided the archival data for this research. From the existing data, demographic variables were selected as predictors of moral development among incoming George Fox College …

Crime And Evil: Meta-Theory, Theory, And Praxis In Forensic Psychology, Eric David Kunkel

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The prevalence of crime is a world-wide problem, and concomitantly, the fear of crime grips the public. Also, social scientists remain pessimistic about solutions: many acquiesce in the •nothing works" conclusion. The general populace views crime as both pathological (i.e., sick) and evil. Privately, social scientists may agree, but professionally they describe crime as nothing but an illness. This research establishes that such reductionism limits the explanatory power of forensic psychology and that ruling out the existence of evil a priori is unscientific. First, the philosophy of science underlying the study of crime is examined. The history of science, the …

Effects Of Cocaine On Fixed-Ratio Responding Of Rats: Modulation By Required Response Force, Malath Makhay

Masters Theses

The effects of acute cocaine administrations (5. 6 to 32 mg/kg) were determined in rats responding under a multiple fixed-ratio 15 fixed-ratio 15 schedule of food delivery. The minimum response effort required in one schedule component was 25 g, whereas in the other component it was 200 g. Cocaine produced generally dose-dependent decreases in rate of responding and increases in pre-ratio pause times under each component. There was, however, a significant interaction between force and drug dose, and the magnitude of drug effects were larger in the component requiring 200 g for lever operation. Although a number of other parameters …

The Effects Of Public Commitment And Group Feedback Of Curbside Recycling, Iser Guillermo Deleón

Masters Theses

Several methods for increasing recycling have been presented in the psychology literature. However, many rely on incentive systems that require individual response monitoring for differential delivery of consequences, thus rendering them prohibitively expensive on a community-wide scale. This study examined the effects of three community interventions which may circumvent this limitation: public commitment, group feedback, and a combination of both. The Commitment Only intervention produced no substantial increase in recycling when superimposed upon a curbside recycling baseline. The Feedback Only intervention and the Combined Intervention produced increases of 25.47% and 40.00%, respectively. A no-intervention Control Group decreased in amount recycled …

Identification Of Perfectionistic College Students, Susan A. Morgan

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify distinctive personality characteristics for perfectionistic college students. One hundred eighty-four graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in psychology and business courses were asked to participate by completing a measure of perfectionism and a personality test. The participants scores were arranged into groups based on their MPS subscale scores. Discriminant analyses revealed 3 separate clusters of variables which predicted perfectionism group membership with surprising accuracy.

A Comparative Study Of Christians To Wiccans And Pagans, L. Diane Curtis

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Levels of affect were assessed in twenty-five Christian participants and twenty-four Wiccan and Pagan participants. Zucherman and Lubin's Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist-Revised (1985) was utilized to measure levels of anxiety, depression, hostility, sensation seeking and positive affect. It was hypothesized that Christians would rate higher in levels of anxiety, depression, and hostility. None of these hypotheses were supported, and there was no significant difference between Christian and Pagan levels of positive affect. There was however, a significant difference between the two groups in the area of sensation seeking- Pagan scores rating higher than did Christian scores. Possible explanations for this …

The Effects Of Gender Of Juror And Gender Of Plaintiff On Outcomes Of Mock Medical Malpractice Lawsuites, Verity Anne Tubb

Student Dissertations & Theses

The current study investigates the effect of the gender of the subject and the gender of the plaintiff on the outcome of a mock medical malpractice lawsuit. Thirty males and twenty-nine females read a transcript from a mock medical malpractice lawsuit, completed a verdict form and answered opinion and recognition questions. The gender of the subjects did not produce any significant results, showing that male subjects did not select significantly different verdicts when compared to female subjects. The gender of the plaintiff did show significant results. The subjects found for female plaintiffs more often than they did the male plaintiff. …

The Maintenance Of Statistical Process Control (Spc) With Organizational Behavior Management (Obm) Techniques, Pollis Robertson

Dissertations

Many organizations have implemented statistical process control (SPC) programs in response to demands in the marketplace for high-quality products that are efficiently built. Many of these organizations have been unhappy with the difficulty of getting their statistical process (SPC) control programs started and the long-term economic success of these programs.

This study systematically investigated for two years various components of statistical process control programs and attempted to enhance economic effectiveness by buttressing SPC methods with Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) techniques. This study was conducted in a Gray Ductile Iron Foundry that employed 87 employees.

Positive results were observed when OBM …

The Efficacy Of Eye Movement Desensitization In The Treatment Of Trauma Related Imagery And Cognitions: A Partial Dismantling Procedure, George S. Renfrey

Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of eye movement desensitization (EMD) on post-traumatic sequelae, and attempted a partial dismantling of the procedure to determine the necessity of EMD's characteristic eye movements. Twenty-three persons participated in three groups: (1) those receiving standard EMD, (2) those receiving a variant of EMD in which eye movements were engendered through a light tracking task, and (3) those receiving a variant of EMD in which fixed visual attention replaced eye movements. All participants had experienced traumata as defined by the DSM-III-R and were having intrusive symptoms of PTSD at pre-treatment. All but two met full DSM-II-R …

An Examination Of Depression In A Subclinical Eating Disorder Female Population, Christine Hill-Melton

Dissertations

This study examined depression and disordered eating symptoms in a population at high risk for the development of eating disorders. The level and prevalence of depression were compared between three groups of women with increasing severity of eating disordered symptoms.

Female undergraduate college students enrolled in psychology courses at four small colleges and one mid-sized university in Michigan completed a Biographical Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and an Eating Assessment Rating Scale (EARS). Participants were placed into one of three groups according to severity of disordered eating symptoms based on their responses on the EARS. The three groups were: …

The Link Between Psychosocial Factors And Coronary Heart Disease: A Possible Neuroendocrine Mechanism, Sheila Wang

Dissertations

Coronary heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the affluent world. Despite identification of several risk factors for coronary heart disease (age, sex, lipoprotein profile, hypertension, diabetes, cigarette smoking, obesity), a significant amount of variability associated with the incidence of coronary heart disease cannot be explained solely on the basis of these risk factors. The contribution of psychosocial factors to the development of coronary heart disease (type A behavior, social isolation, traumatic events, unstable social conditions) continues to be a promising area of investigation. However, a biochemical pathway linking psychosocial factors to coronary heart disease remains …

The Effects Of Exercise Over Time On Levels Of Anxiety And Self-Efficacy Among Women Undergraduates, Linda S. Noval

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety. However, many people find exercise programs difficult to maintain. Researchers are now identifying factors associated with exercise adherence including selfefficacy. Teaching these skills to people may be important for the use of exercise as an intervention in reducing levels of anxiety. This study monitored levels of anxiety over time among women undergraduate students who were involved in four exercise conditions. The results suggest that while physical activity is associated with significantly higher levels of physical self-efficacy, it is not as closely associated with lower levels of trait anxiety.

Sexual Orientation, Attachment, And Adult Relationship Quality, Earl Calvin Riggins Iii

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Comparisons were made between 55 heterosexual males, 49 heterosexual females, 56 homosexual males, and 35 homosexual females on measures of attachment, relationship satisfaction and relationship success. Results indicated that adult homosexuals experience greater difficulty than adult heterosexuals in becoming close to others. Individuals endorsing the secure attachment style reported greater relationship satisfaction than individuals endorsing either of the two insecure attachment styles. In addition, females reported greater relationship satisfaction than males. Significantly more individuals endorsing the secure attachment style reported their mothers to have been warm/responsive; significantly more heterosexual males and females than homosexual females reported their mothers to have …

The Effects Of Perceived Work Schedule Flexibility, Number Of Hours Worked, And Type Of Work Schedule On Work-Family Conflict, Tenora Dianne Grigsby

Dissertations and Theses

The interaction effects of perceived work schedule flexibility (PWSF) and the number of hours worked on work-family conflict, and the interaction effects of PWSF and the type of work schedule on work-family conflict were investigated for employees of a regional bank headquartered in the Pacific Northwest. A 50% response rate was obtained from a survey questionnaire administered to 2,000 randomly selected employees.

Hierarchial multiple regression analyses conducted on 526 subjects revealed no significant interaction effects for PWSF and type of work schedule. The interaction effect for PWSF and number of hours worked was not tested due to a significant correlation …

The Perceptual Weighting Of Speech-Related Acoustic Cues For 3 & 1/2-Year-Old Children Differs From That Of Adults: Results Using Natural And Synthetic Stimuli, Carol J. Manning

Student Work

Previous studies have found that children’s judgments of syllable-initial /s/ and / ∫ / are more related to the vocalic F2 transition and less related to the fricative-noise spectrum than are adults’ judgments [Nittrouer & Studdert- Kennedy, JSHR, 30 (1987); Nittrouer, J. Phon., 20 1992]. These results have been taken as evidence that young children organize linguistic input in units more closely approximating syllable size than phoneme size. Furthermore, such results have led to a model of speech development proposing that children’s weighting of the acoustic cues for phonemic categories changes as they gain linguistic experience, with a general shift …

The Effect Of The Cooper Wellness Program In Promoting Long- Term Lifestyle Behavior Changes, Ernesto P. S. Medina Jr.

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Most research on health behavior change programs examines their effectiveness in producing initial behavior changes, but fails to evaluate long-term maintenance of those changes. This study examined the effectiveness of the Cooper Wellness Program (CWP) in Dallas, Texas, in promoting maintenance of lifestyle behavior changes for one year or longer in the areas of diet, exercise, and stress management.

The CWP offers an intensive live-in lifestyle behavior modification program in four-, seven-, or 13-day formats. Data were collected from 223 individuals who attended the CWP between January, 1989, to February, 1992. The study addressed the following areas: 1) long-term maintenance …

Determinants Of Elite Athletes' Commitment To Sport: Examination Of The Sport Commitment Model In The Professional Sport Domain, Tammy Kay Hall

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the applicability of the Sport Commitment Model for a group of elite, professional athletes. The model proposes that an athlete's commitment will increase as sport enjoyment, personal investments, social constraints, and involvement opportunities increase and will decrease with an increase in involvement opportunities. The influence of identification as an athlete, a determinant of commitment not included in the original model, was also examined. One hundred and eighty three professional football players from the Canadian Football League (CFL) (n = 121) and National Football League (NFL) (n = 69) participated in the study. Each subject completed …

Predicting Aggression Among Inpatient Adolescent Males With Mmpi Scales, Kent Hughes

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The purpose of this study was to develop a linear model of predicting aggression in inpatient adolescent males using selected MMPI clinical and special scales. The definition of aggression was measured by the number of seclusion and restraint interventions necessitated by each participant. Hospital records of 186 patients over a three year period were reviewed for MMPI data and seclusion and restraint information. Multiple regression analysis was utilized to analyze the data. A predictive equation was established including the MMPI Scale 8(Sc) in predicting number of restraint interventions. Although this equation was statistically significant at the .01 level, it was …

The Relation Of Anchoring And Choice To Memory Self-Efficacy And Performance In Older Adults, Renee Annette Baldi

Master's Theses

The major purposes of this study were 1) to examine the effects of self-efficacy on task choice, effort and performance on a memory task, and 2) to examine the effect of sequence anchoring on self-efficacy judgments. Forty-two older adults (25 women and 17 men) completed the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), a memory complaints questionnaire (MCQ) , a self-efficacy questionnaire (SEQ), and two memory recall tasks. Subjects received an SEQ that had either a descending anchor (i.e., SEQ began with most difficult task) or an ascending anchor (i.e., SEQ began with easiest task). Also, subjects were either given a choice of …

Effects Of Checklists And Feedback On Interviewer Documentation Errors, Ann Lynn Linklater

Masters Theses

A multiple baseline design was used to compare the effectiveness of checklists and feedback to improve marketing research telephone interview documentation. Three measures based on the combined errors of four interviewers were obtained: (1) errors per completed interview, (2) errors per interview with errors, and (3) most frequently occurring error in each of three error groups. The effects of three additional factors believed to affect interviewer performance were also investigated: (1) marketing research project, (2) complexity of the interview, and (3) lead worker responsible for editing completed interviews.

Only slight, mostly positive changes were visually evident across the dependent measures. …

Correlates Of Job Satisfaction Among Private Sector Employees In Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Al-Helelah

Masters Theses

The primary objectives of the present study were to explore the level of job satisfaction and commitment among private sector employees in Saudi Arabia, and to examine the relationship between job satisfaction and employees' commitment.

Seven alternative hypotheses were tested against seven null hypotheses. Chi-square (x^2) was the test statistic for all seven hypotheses. The critical value of chi-square was determined by the degrees of freedom (df) and an alpha level of.05. Three hypotheses were confirmed that related job satisfaction to employees' commitment, satisfaction with length of working hours, and satisfaction with opportunities for interaction with co-workers on the job. …

The Acute Effects Of Cocaine In Pigeons Performing Under A Progressive-Ratio Schedule, Claudia Ann Jones

Masters Theses

Although the progressive-ratio (PR) schedule has been used frequently to quantify the reinforcing effectiveness of self-administered drugs, it has seldom been used to examine the effects of drugs on food-maintained behavior and has never been used to evaluate the effects of cocaine on such behavior. In the present study, the effects of acute administrations of cocaine were evaluated in pigeons responding under a PR schedule of food delivery. Overall, cocaine produced a dose-dependent effect on food-maintained behavior. In general, acute administrations of cocaine at 0.56 to 3.2 mg/kg increased breaking points, whereas doses above 5.6 mg/kg decreased breaking points. Low …

An Assessment Of Role Ambiguity, Role Conflict, Role Frustration, And Job Satisfaction Of Presidents At Selected Private Four-Year Colleges In The Southeastern United States, Gary W. Juhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current literature has suggested that the role of the college president has perhaps become too ambiguous, complex and demanding for an individual to perform for an extended period of time. The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship between perceived role ambiguity, role conflict, role frustration and job satisfaction of selected private college presidents in the Southeastern United States. The method of the study was correlational in design. Using a thirty-seven item questionnaire developed by the author, data were collected from 141 college presidents of institutions within the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The institutions were private …

Computer-Based Fluency Training With The Terminology Of Behavior Analysis, Guillermo E. Yaber-Oltra

Dissertations

This study examined the effects of computer-based fluency training on the learning of behavior-analysis terminology. Sixty-nine undergraduates studied the definitions of half a set of behavior-analysis terms using a computer program Think Fast (Parsons, 1989), and half using their regular methods. Think Fast training items consisted of typing the words missing from definitions. On seven out of nine post-training quizzes, students were better able to define terms previously studied with the computer program. In a related experiment, volunteers studied half a new set of terms using the computer, either typing or saying the answers. Students mastered the definitions better when …

The Effects Of A Monetary Incentive System On The Performance Of Rolloff Truck Drivers, Jeanne Marie Lameie

Dissertations

Studies have shown that individuals working under individual monetary incentive conditions perform at higher rates than those working under an hourly pay condition (Farr, 1976; Frisch & Dickinson, 1990; Gaetani, Hoxeng, & Austin, 1985; George & Hopkins, 1989; London & Oldham, 1977; Nebeker & Neuberger, 1985; Orphen, 1982; Terborg & Miller, 1978; Yukl, Wexley, & Seymore, 1972). Although these studies indicate that incentive pay improves productivity, the results of two laboratory studies suggest that the portion of pay that is tied to performance is not important (Frisch & Dickinson, 1990; Gillette, 1991). In other words, once pay is linked to …

An Experimental Demonstration Of The Transitive Conditioned Establishing Operation With Pigeons, Rachel Nunes Da Cunha

Dissertations

Skinner (1938) dealt with motivation in terms of the operations of deprivation/satiation and aversive stimulation. Later, Keller and Schoenfeld (1950) introduced the term establishing operation to refer to such motivative variables, and Michael (1982, and in press) expanded the Keller and Schoenfeld (1950) concept to include a type of learned motivative variable not explicitly identified in the earlier treatments. The purpose of the present research is the laboratory demonstration of this form of motivation, that Michael referred to as a transitive conditioned establishing operation (CEO).

The present experiment used a treadle-key procedure similar to that of Ailing (1990), but with …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Work Involvement And Family Involvement And Work-Family Conflict In Dual-Career Families, Elizabeth Jean Allen

Dissertations and Theses

The present study examined the relationship between work involvement and family involvement and work-family conflict in dual-career families. Four hundred thirty-six couples (436 females; 436 males; N = 872) in dual-career relationships were recruited from a bank organization in the Northwest United States. The survey questionnaire contained three sections to measure work and family involvement, work-family conflict, and sociodemographic information. Data analyses were conducted using multiple regression analysis and a 1 X 4 ANOVA to examine the proposed relationships among the study variables. Results demonstrated the following: across study participants, work involvement accounted for a significant amount of variance in …

Materialism And The Self, Kathleen Shirley Micken

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Materialism has been called the most significant macro development in modern consumer behavior. Despite its importance, research about the construct is rather new. Two scales have been developed to measure materialism, one proposed by Belk, the other by Richins and Dawson.

The purpose of this dissertation is threefold. First, it extends the materialism research program by investigating the relationship between materialism and one's self concept. Hypotheses which drive the research posit that people who are more materialistic have lower self-esteem, are less likely to be self-actualized, are extrinsically rather than intrinsically motivated, and are likely to be high self-monitors. The …