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Formal Observation Of Family Interaction During Structured Play, Darell C. Provencher

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The present study explored how behavioral interactions in two-male sibling families during structured play may be affected by the relative ages of siblings and by the interaction situations involved. Six dyadic interaction situations of 30 minutes duration each were observed among members of 12 normal families in their homes, once a week for five consecutive weeks. Families were categorized into three groups: (a) a younger sibling and an older sibling between 2-5 years of age, (b) 2-5 year-old younger sibling and 6-9 year-old older sibling, and (c) a younger sibling and an older sibling between 6-9 years of age. The …

The Effects Of Instructions On Prosocial Behavior Of Preschool Children, Jane Marie Blackwell

Dissertations and Theses

This experiment examined the effects of instructions on the prosocial behavior (i.e., helping, sharing, teaching, and sympathy) of preschool children. Forty-eight individual children (X = 56.7 months) interacted with two adult women on two separate occasions, an initial session measuring baseline levels of prosocial behavior, and a second session several days later. In the second session, children received instructions in helping, sharing, and teaching, and an opportunity to rehearse, or practice, these prosocial behaviors. Children were given either power assertive instructions (i.e., instructions which directly told the child what to do), or inductive instructions (i.e., instructions which focused the child's …

The Use Of The Rorschach With Young Children: Special Considerations In Administration, Scoring, And Interpretation And In The Measurement Of Cognitive Functioning, Patricia Parry Barber

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

A discussion of the Rorschach's validity as a diagnostic tool seems most manageable when validity is addressed not in terms of global personality descriptions, but rather in terms of specific subquestions. This paper investigates the Rorschach's usefulness as an indicator of cognitive functioning in preadolescent children. Within a developmental framework and focusing primarily upon the cognitive theories of Jean Piaget, predictable stages of the child's intellective growth are described with an emphasis on Rorschach response patterns which seem to best chronicle that growth. Empirical data from both clinical and educational spheres are offered as supportive evidence for the Rorschach as …

The Relationship Of Maternal Childrearing Practices To Prosocial Behavior And Resistance To Temptation In Preschool Children, Jennifer Anne Deck Jennings

Dissertations and Theses

Preschool children's prosocial behavior and resistance to temptation were examined in relation to maternal childbearing practices. Forty-seven children and their mothers participated in the study. At a play session at the child's day care center, each child was given opportunities to behave prosocially, i.e., to help, share, teach, or exhibit sympathy, and to resist temptation, i.e., refrain from playing with an attractive but forbidden toy. Mothers of these children were individually interviewed and given a questionnaire developed for this study.

The Effects Of Gender Label On Young Children's Interpretation Of An Infant's Behavior, Susan Sterkel Haugh

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Television On Children's Behavior, Attitude, And Moral Judgment, Lauri Reinhardt

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

A Test Of Conservation For Continuous And Discontinuous Quantity In The Very Young Child, Nancy Patrick Kaye

Dissertations and Theses

The development of mathematical concepts in children has been studied by many researchers. Much of this research has focused on the concept of conservation which was introduced by Piaget. It has generally been assumed that children under the age of five years are not capable of such conservation. Some recent evidence suggests that children Wlder this age do conserve on particular tasks. In this study one hundred children from age two years four months to three years seven months were tested for conservation of discontinuous and continuous quantity. Although some evidence of conservation in this age range was obtained, no …

Examiner Influence With Children In The Draw A Person Test, Stephanie Syler

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the influence of the examiner on children administered Machover's Draw A Person Test. Forty third and fourth grade children from two elementary schools served as subjects. The administrators were college students.

The subjects were randomly divided into four groups of 5 at each school, so that each examiner administered the test twice, once at each school. Examiners were also randomly assigned to their groups.

It was hypothesized that children tend to use the administrator of the DAP as a model for their drawings. The statistical analysis of data, however, did not support the hypothesis.

During the course …

Use Of The Pals Test To Differentiate Between High Achieving And Low Achieving Fifth Gradestudents: A Validity Study, Mickey H. Parson

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to determine if the PALS Tests (Williams, 1958, 1961, 1964) would significantly differentiate between low achieving and hie;h achieving 5th-grade students. The basic design was the same basic design as used by Williams (1961), except that high achieving and low achieving students were used instead of acting-out and normal children. It was intended that this research supplement existing data concerning validity of the PALS Tests. The test author (Williams 1958, 1961, 1964) seems to be the only person who has conducted research regarding the PALS.

The Effect Of Pretesting On The Training Of Conservation Behavior, Lynn Mannan

All Master's Theses

The purpose of the present research is to determine if a relationship exists between the traditional Piaget tasks used to identify the preoperational and transitional children and the effects of the training procedures designed to increase conservation behavior.

A Normative Study Of Some Developmental Aspects Of The Human Figure Drawings Of Children, Bessie M. Whitehead

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

For many years there has been much interest in the use of human figure drawings as a projective technique for diagnostic use with the mentally ill. Psychiatric implications are attributed to practically every possible characteristic exhibited in the human figure, but until recently, little has been done toward establishing standards or norms describing objectively how various groups in the population actually perform when asked to draw a person. A clinician had no ruler by which to measure the performance of his client. He had no standard by which he could decide that the behavior exhibited was usual or abnormal for …

A Study Of The Relationship Of The Present-Day Patterns Of Family Life With The Emotional Stability Of Children, Margaret Ruth Dresslaer

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Problem: This is a study of the pattern of living in the present-day family and the possible effect that it may have upon the emotional stability of children. Also, the writer seeks to cite to the reader the elements that were common in the lives of "sick personalities" that she had known and the emotionally immature children under study.

Method of Research. The investigation comprised case studies of fifty pupils of the Lamar Elementary School who were grouped according to chronological age. Information for the case studies were obtained from school records, conversations and conferences with parents, and surveys within …

A Study In The Development And Use Of The Place-A-Person Test, Ola Frances Hill

Master's Theses

The purposes of this paper are two-fold, first, to present data in the development of the Place-A-Person test as a technique for clinical use in eliciting children's parental and sibling preferences, and secondly, to present experimental findings of the test in regard to parental preferences in a large sample.

Children's Reactions To One Hundred Thirty-Seven Visual Items, Robert James Tufts

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to present the responses of children to one hundred thirty-seven visual items developed under the direction of the present writer specifically for this purpose. The items are pen and ink sketches of situations, actions and objects which any child might find in his daily living or about which he might fantasy.

The subject matter of the items can be best be determined by direct reference to them as they are presented in Chapter III of this thesis. They represent many types of situations and objects with no intention of including or evaluating any specific …

Effect Of Expressive Methods Of Child Psychotherapy Upon Intellectual Efficiency, Viola Caprez Ames

Master's Theses

It is the purpose of this study to investigate the effectiveness of a certain type of child training in accelerating the development of intellectual efficiency. By expressive methods is meant the use of different media through which the child can find self-expression for otherwise inarticulate ideas. Such media as finger-painting, clay modeling, dramatization and free hand drawing give opportunity for the child to create or objectify his subjective feelings or ideas. By child psychotherapy is meant a method of treatment in readjusting the personality of children. The change in I.Q. means a change in the relation of mental age to …

Individual Differences In Vocabularies Of Kindergarten Children, Ruth Marguerite Grotheer

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Origin of the Problem Many scientific investigations on various subjects taught in the elementary school have been made and consequently instruction in the schools has been greatly improved in the light of these studies. Individualization of some of the different elements of instruction has aided in solving some of the problems. There are still however a great number of problems which need to be investigated.