Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Development And Evaluation Of An Infant-Care Training Program With First-Time Fathers, Ronald S. Dachman

Dissertations

We evaluated the effectiveness of a multicomponent package in training infant-care skills to first-time fathers. After developing and socially validating a set of infant-care skills, we assessed the effects of training in a hospital-based program with expectant fathers (Experiment 1) and in a home-based program with fathers having varied degrees of experience with their infants (Experiment 2). In both experiments, a multiple probe design demonstrated that the training package was responsible for producing criterion performance by the expectant and first-time fathers. A one-month generalization probe in Experiment 1 showed that the effects transferred across training conditions (training doll to human …

The Meaning Of Marriage To The Voluntarily Childless Couple, June Ann Smith

Dissertations

Problem. The literature is replete with findings to show that childlessness is a contemporary and growing trend. However, no known study has been done to explore what marriage means to the couple who chooses childlessness. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the meaning of marriage to the voluntarily childless couple.

Method. This study was done with a purposive sample of 42 couples. These couples were selected from referrals made through contact with a local radio station. Some were selected from referrals made by church pastors who were aware of couples in their congregations who are voluntarily childless, …

The Validity Of The Kinetic Family Drawing As A Measure Of Self-Concept And Parent/Child Relationship Among Chinese Children In Taiwan, Mei-Mei Cho

Dissertations

Problem

Valid psychological instruments for use with Chinese children in Taiwan are scarce. The present study attempted to validate the Kinetic Family Drawing as a measure of the self in the family context as well as the perceived parent-child relationship among Chinese children in Taiwan, and to obtain normative data on the KFD for this population.

Method

A correlational research design was used to determine the validity of the KFD using aSemantic Differential (SD) of four concepts--"Father and Me," "Mother and Me," "Me," and "My Whole Family"--as a criterion measure. The KFDs were rated for 80 variables recommended by Burns …