Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of The Relationship Between Life Events And Empathy, Catherine Ferme

Masters Theses

The study investigated the relationship between the occurrence of stressful events in people's lives and their empathy for other people. Subjects were 74 graduate and undergraduate psychology students at Eastern Illinois University. The subects viewed videotapes of persons describing stressful events such as academic problems, death of a relative or friend, divorce, et cetera. The subjects rated themselves on their empathy for each person. They then completed a questionnaire based on Holmes and Rahe's Social Readjustment Rating Scale. Subjects' empathy scores and life event scores were analyzed using Pearson r correlations. Results of the study confirmed the hypothesis that experienced …

Relationship Between Anxiety And Level Of Aspiration Among College Male Physical Education Students, Taoheed Abdul Adedoja

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between anxiety and level of aspiration among college physical education male students.

Thirty-one male physical education students, enrolled in the professional physical education classes at Eastern Illinois University, served as volunteers for the study.

Each subject completed a 40 item Anxiety Scale Questionnaire (ASQ), designed by the Institute for Personality and Anxiety Testing (IPAT), for measurement of anxiety level. The level of aspiration (Loa) scores were obtained from each subject's estimations of scores and performances on the grip strength tests administered.

The scores obtained from the anxiety questionnaire and …

Sexual Harassment Of Working Women: An Exploratory Study, Cheryl Mcmichaels

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the subject of sexual harassment. A total of 82 women were recruited from central Illinois to fill out a questionnaire on sexual harassment and the Assertiveness Inventory (Gambrill and Richey, 1975). An attempt was made to control the subjects for occupational levels. Their occupational levels ranged from physician to unskilled worker, and their educational levels ranged from a high school degree to an advanced degree. The women in this sample worked full-time, part-time, and did volunteer work.

All of the women filled out the Assertiveness Inventory, a 40-item self-report, (Gambrill and …

Effects Of Prior And Interpolated Shock Exposures On Subsequent Escape/Avoidance Conditioning With Goldfish, Toshiyuki Kimbara

Masters Theses

The relationship between inescapable shocks and subsequent escape/avoidance learning was first deomonstrated by Overmier and Seligman (1967). They found that dogs exposed to inescapable electric shock, while restrained in a harness, later failed to learn to escape shock in a two way shuttle box where escape was possible. Ninety goldfish were randomly assigned to one of five groups (N=18 per group). Ninety fish were tested in a Lafayette Aquatic Unit A-660 type shuttle tank. There are four independent variables in this study. The first independent variable is the presence of prior inescapable shock. The second independent variable is the level …

An Exploratory Investigation Comparing Battered And Non-Battered Women Using The Hand Test, Debra A. Dalton

Masters Theses

The physical and mental abuse of women as wives and lovers is a largely unrecognized crime of violence just beginning to receive attention in the United States. The extent of wifebeating is difficult to determine since, although it occurs in every strata of society and every age group, it is underreported for a variety of reasons. The motives for wife abuse are complex. There are several social and psychological explanations that have been suggested as the underlying rationale for wifebeating. Psychological testing with battered women is rare and what testing that has been done has been limited to interviews and …

Job Satisfaction And Attitudes Of Professional Autonomy Among Community Hospital Staff Nurses, Michael Thomas Quinn

Masters Theses

The rapid rate of specialization within the health care field has affected the practice of nursing by demanding increased autonomy and professional identification among nurses. Past research has demonstrated that nurses' attitudes relevant to autonomous functioning and professional identification differ with the occupational role and setting in which the nurse works, with community hospital staff nurses being less likely than other nurses to endorse professionalism or autonomous functioning. The research has also demonstrated that the job turnover rate among hospital staff nurses is extremely high and that a large proportion of this turnover rate is directly related to job dissatisfaction. …