Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Birth Order, Academic Specialization, And Creativity, Anita Lynn Reifel

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Relationship Between Personality Type And Emotional Response To Athletic Injury, Jasmin C. R. Hutchinson

Masters Theses

This investigation was designed to examine emotional response to athletic injury using personality constructs within reversal theory. Twenty-five (male = 19, female = 6) collegiate athletes, ranging in age from 18 to 22 years (mean = 19.95, SD = 1.11) who sustained a minimal criteria injury during a six-week data collection period participated in this study. Each athlete's total mood disturbance (TMD) was measured pre-injury and post-injury using the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Athlete's personality orientation was measured using the Paratelic Dominance Scale (PDS). A dependent t-test indicated a significant increase in TMD scores following injury (p < 0.05), thus indicating overall mood disturbance in injured athletes. An independent t-test comparing paratelic and telic dominant athletes on TMD difference scores revealed non-significant results (p = 0.40). Methodological and theoretical reasons for this are examined and implications for further study of reversal theory and athletic injury are discussed.

Do Women Adapt More? The Gender Effects Of The Speaker On Classroom Speech Evaluations, Alethea Ann Bodden

Masters Theses

The presentational style of females and the connection with the audience members was examined. 95 male and female subjects gathered the results from five different sections of speech communication classes. The rating scale that was completed by the subjects contained traits such as, organization, language, material, delivery, analysis and voice. The results have indicated that the female presentational style does have more of a connection and adaptation with the audience than do males.

Millennial Rhetoric At The Turn Of The Millennium, John Robert Stanley

Masters Theses

Millennial rhetoric has predominately had an apocalyptic theme in the past; however, the current rhetoric about the millennium can be seen as more positive, optimistic, and enthusiastic. By treating the texts Deep Impact and Armageddon, various news sources, and five web sites as part of what Becker (1971) defines as a "mosaic," it was found that the current view of the millennium presents various tensions present in our current society. These tensions include unity versus individualism, technological advancement versus technological limitations, and optimism versus angst. The analysis suggests that unity is preferred over individualism to overcome current obstacles at …

The Construct Validity Of The Adjustment Scales For Children And Adolescents (Asca) And The Preschool And Kindergarten Behavior Scales (Pkbs), Jamie D. Rich

Masters Theses

The Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents (ASCA) and the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS) are two relatively new behavior assessment scales that measure youth problem behavior. The ASCA is designed to be completed by the child's classroom teacher. The PKBS is designed to be completed by the child's teacher, parent, or day care provider. Both scales are unique and are considered to be technically adequate. Many of their syndromes/subscales and global scales/composites are similar in nature and description according to their respective manuals. No research, however, has been conducted establishing convergent evidence of construct validity between these two …

Attachment Styles And Childhood Trauma In Batterer Subtypes, Eric S. Davidson

Masters Theses

Eighty-three men seeking treatment for domestic violence and 28 non-violent control subjects completed self-report questionnaires on conflict resolution, attachment styles, and childhood trauma. Those seeking treatment were divided into three batterer subtypes in order to determine if there were differences between the three groups and the control group in attachment styles, and childhood trauma (overall trauma, sexual assault, punishment, and neglect). There were no significant relationships found between batterer subtype or subject status (batterer vs. non-batterer) concerning attachment style. Significant results were found concerning trauma and batterer status, as well as some significant differences between batterer subtype and trauma. Limitations …

The Relationship Between Family Environment And Proneness To Shame And Guilt, Ericka N. Hamilton

Masters Theses

This study examines shame- and guilt-proneness and family environment factors that predict these two affective experiences. One-hundred and ninety undergraduates completed the Test of Self-Conscious Affect and the Family Environment Scale. The results indicated that a family emphasis on moral and religious issues and values was most predictive of shame. An emphasis on moral and religious issues and values as well as an interest in social and political activities was most predictive of guilt. The findings in this study differ from the theoretical literature which has suggested that the relationship between family environment and an individual's proneness to guilt and …

Interpersonal Solidarity In Relationships: A Cultural Analysis Of Lawyers Vs. Sports Agents, Andrea L. Cairns

Masters Theses

The cultural affects on relationship solidarity and satisfaction in relationships between lawyers and their clients, and sports agents and their professional athlete clients was examined. The results were gathered through a process of correlation tests and frequency report tables. All four groups of subjects were asked to complete a twenty questions survey which contained variables such as interpersonal solidarity, relational satisfaction, and communicative patterns of interaction. The results indicated that the two types of relationships are adversely co-dependent with respect to self-disclosure and it's relationship to interpersonal solidarity within a client-agent relationship.

The Status Of Workplace Violence In The United States: A Model For Prevention And Intervention, Linda Meliza Moore

Masters Theses

This paper examines the scope and causes of workplace violence, the second leading cause of death in the U.S. workplace today. A comprehensive review of existing literature is presented and a new model for prevention and intervention of workplace violence is proposed for use by practitioners. Suggestions for further data collection and research are presented so that further refinement can be made to workplace violence prevention and intervention models.

South African Distance Runners: Issues Involving Their International Careers During And After Apartheid, Carrie A. Lane

Masters Theses

While some sports in South Africa have a distinct racial identity, distance running is one of the most popular sports in the country for people of all ethnic backgrounds. This study examined the issues that South African distance runners faced from the time the country was banned from Olympic competition, in 1968, to the present day. It profiled 21 male and female elite and collegiate runners who have competed in the United States from 1980 to 1999.

Because of South Africa's apartheid government, which legalized racial segregation and inequality, South African sport was excluded from international competition for 32 years. …

Demonstrating Loss Of Control Over Technology: A Narrative Criticism, David P. Farlow

Masters Theses

This study focuses on how individuals through their talk about computer mediated technology demonstrate a loss of control over that technology. Three separate computer mediated communication classes were involved in this study through the use of autoethnographies. The students in all three classes were asked at the beginning of the semester to keep field notes on their experiences with the technology. At the end of the semester the students were to summarize and report their experiences.

Because of the qualitative nature of the data, a narrative criticism of the stories students told about their experiences seemed to provide the most …

Symbol Of Youth, Savior From Aging: Dialectical Relationship Between American Attitudes On Vitamin E And Toward Aging, Thalia Rios

Masters Theses

This study explores the dialectical relationship between American attitudes about Vitamin E and American attitudes toward aging. Through an examination of this dialectic, I will demonstrate that Vitamin E's history has contributed greatly to current American discourses on aging. For many Americans, the vitamin symbolizes youth and health because they perceive that its use can prevent or slow the aging process. During the 1990s, many Americans' early negative perceptions of Vitamin E as a quack substance have changed, partly due to recent research advances and studies that have further elucidated its powerful antioxidant function against harmful free radicals. Meanwhile, many …

The Economics Of Wage Discrimination Of Non-Whites From 1960 To 1990, Royal E. Washington

Masters Theses

White people earn more money than non-whites. This is true in most cases even if non-white people perform the same job as white people. Are there reasons for these differences? The purpose of this paper is to discover what those reasons are for the differences in wages and to attempt to discover how much of the difference is really discrimination. Any inequalities that are unexplained may be considered by the author to be discriminatory. Therefore, the hypothesis for this paper is: Income differences between whites and non-whites may be attributed in part to race discrimination.

The statistical method used will …

Openness, Convergence, And Economic Growth In Asian Economies, Lih-Jen Lin

Masters Theses

Openness offers countries opportunities to trade with the outside world, and stimulates growth through easier access to new technologies and skills. In order to verify the effects of openness on economic growth in Asian economies, this study uses the ratio of foreign direct investment to GDP, and the ratio of the sum of imports and exports to GDP as proxies of openness.

This study begins with the hypothesis that opening domestic markets will have a significant positive impact on Asian economic growth, and the lower the starting level of real per capita GDP, relative to the long-term position, the faster …

Is Achievement Motivation In Basketball Games Affected By Team Or Individual Competitive Situations In Elementary Physical Education Classes?, Adam C. Lane

Masters Theses

This study examined the relationship between skill, setting and gender. There were three main purposes for conducting this study. The first was to determine whether a child's achievement motivation changes when participating in a team setting compared to an individual setting. The second purpose was to determine and compare any differences between boys' and girls' achievement motivation, in both team and individual settings, and thirdly, to determine and compare any differences between the achievement motivation of high-skilled and low-skilled children, in both team and individual settings. Subjects were administered the Sport Orientation Questionnaire, (Gill and Deeter, 1988), which assesses competitiveness, …

The New Frontier: The Presidential Election Campaign Of Jfk, Bryan Wuthrich

Masters Theses

This thesis is an examination of the Kennedy election campaign. It is a narrative and also a brief examination of how this campaign was put together and how the Kennedy campaign staff was formed. The main perspective that it takes is from the vantage point of the Cold War which serves as driving force behind the main issues of the campaign. It is the primary argument of this thesis that the Kennedy campaign marked a period of transition whereby America began to formulate a coherent ideological position for itself as leader of the free world and come into its own …

Health Locus Of Control, Perceived Health Competence, And Fluid Adherence In Hemodialysis Patients, Mark W. Conard

Masters Theses

Patient adherence with prescribed medical regimens is vital in promoting the health of patients. Complex medical regimens are difficult for patients to follow and it is therefore important to understand what causes patients not to follow their prescribed treatment recommendations. Hemodialysis (HD) is one such complex medical regimen that requires patients to follow strict restrictions in their diet. One area of the HD regimen that is particularly hard for patients to adhere to is restrictions in the amount of fluid they can safely consume. Research has shown that noncompliance to fluid restrictions is pervasive, with patients stating that adherence to …

Perceived Social Support And Exercise Compliance Of Phase Iii Patients In Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs, Rana M. Smith

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in the level of perceived social support from family, friends, and program staff in Phase III patients who comply and patients who do not comply to cardiac rehabilitation programs.

Staff of 22 cardiac rehabilitation programs in ten different states, distributed 10 surveys to compliers and 10 surveys to non-compliers. A three-part questionnaire was designed to gather information regarding demographics, perceived staff social support and perceived family social support. Independent t-tests were used to determine if there were differences in perceived social support between compliers and non-compliers.

Of …

Effects Of Interparental Conflict Tactic Styles On The Psychological Adjustment Of College Undergraduates, Jodell D. Bauer

Masters Theses

Past research has examined the effect of the level of interparental conflict on the psychological adjustment of children and young adult offspring. Research has suggested that higher levels of conflict in intact, separated, and divorced homes have negative effects on the psychological adjustment of children and young adults. Recent studies have further examined interparental conflict by examining the styles with which parents resolve or cope with conflict and it's effect on their children. This study assessed the effect of different interparental conflict styles of mother and of father on college-age offspring. The three styles examined were negotiation, psychological aggression and …

An Investigation Of The Construct Validity Of The Children's Skills Test, Cynthia D. L. Ladd

Masters Theses

The Children's Skills Test (CST) is an aptitude and achievement test for children in grades Kindergarten through Nine, developed from the American School Psycho-Educational Assessment Battery (ASPAB). It is designed for home administration via the computer, and no examiner is present. At this time, no technical information has been released regarding the CST, nor has any research been published.

The Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (K-BIT) is a brief measure of general intelligence with sound technical properties. It is administered by an examiner. The K-BIT has been correlated with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Third Edition (WISC-III), the most commonly …

Struggle, Aspiration, And Obsession: The Discourse Of Diet, Emily K. L. Jahn

Masters Theses

Research has shown that members of society are generally dissatisfied with their current weight. This study examines how individuals socially construct meanings of the word diet and the dieting process. Participants (n=443) were males and females who ranged in age from 7 to 68. Each were given a diet questionnaire to complete. The older groups were given the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) Scale in addition to the survey. The text for analysis was obtained by the surveys and four focus groups. The resulting data indicated that both males and females perceive the word diet means "to lose weight." …

Effectiveness Of The "Baby Think It Over" Program On Adolescents' Contraceptive And Child-Rearing Attitudes, Stephanie Ann Johnson

Masters Theses

An increasing number of high schools in the United States have begun to use the "Baby Think It Over" doll as part of their curriculum in certain classes. This study examined the effectiveness of this doll on influencing 46 male and female adolescents' attitudes and behaviors regarding pregnancy, sexual activity, and contraceptives. Five specific subscales were developed to measure the teens' contraceptive attitudes and behaviors before and after using the doll regarding their feelings about becoming pregnant, understanding/comprehension of the responsibilities of child-rearing, appreciation of the impact of child-bearing on their lives/future, and attitudes toward premarital sex. Also, a qualitative …

Patient Compliance-Gaining: A Look At Care Facility Vs. Home Health, Merideth Mayberry

Masters Theses

The patient compliance-gaining strategies employed by health care providers in the care facility and home health environments were investigated. Each participant completed a two-page, open-ended survey. A content analysis, and more specifically a thematic analysis of the research, allowed for similarities and differences between the two settings to be compared to current literature. Results indicated that participants used similar strategies to those suggested by researchers in the field. The results showed that strategies applied by health care providers in this particular study are effective for gaining patient compliance.

Integrating Web-Based Training Into Communication Scholarship Of Computer-Mediated Communication, Brian P. Johanpeter

Masters Theses

As interest and use of the Internet through the World Wide Web increases, it becomes necessary for the Communication Discipline to reexamine its approach to studying computer-mediated communication. A meta-analysis of the discipline's research in this area provides insight into the scholarly history of this subject. Included in this analysis is an examination of the discipline's research in computer-based instruction, placed as a subcategory under computer-mediated communication. This study reveals a gaping hole in the communication scholarship of computer-mediated communication and offers suggestions as to how research of Web-based training might fill this gap. Additional discussion also reveals how research …

A Comparison Of The Social Skills Rating System And The Preschool And Kindergarten Behavior Scales, Susan Hayner

Masters Theses

The Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS) and the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS), Teacher Form, at the Preschool and Elementary Levels, are fairly new instruments that purport to evaluate children's prosocial abilities and deviant problem behavior. Little research exists comparing the two instruments. Both scales have been determined to be globally technically adequate. However, the research has been limited thus far. The purpose of the current research was to further investigate the relationship between the two scales. A sample of children (n=136) in west central Illinois public and private preschools were used to collect the data. Of these, 64 …

An Investigation Of Convergent And Divergent Validity Between Asca And Basc Trs, Jennifer L. Ingles

Masters Theses

The Behavior Assessment Scale for Children - Teacher Rating Scale (BASC - TRS) and the Adjustment Scales for Children and Adolescents (ASCA) are both teacher rating scales which may be used by school psychologists to assess psychopathology. To date, these scales have not been compared in professional literature, although they assess similar social, emotional, and behavioral constructs. According to research, both scales appear to be technically superior teacher report rating scales. The current study analyzed ASCA and BASC TRS ratings which were completed on randomly selected students between the ages of 6 and 11 (n = 124). Convergent validity was …

The Reliability And Validity Of The Children's Conscientiousness And Procrastination Scale, Nicole M. Osterman

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to further examine the reliability and validity of a self-report measure of procrastination and conscientiousness for elementary-aged children. The research participants were 120 male and female students in grades 3-5, drawn from two different schools. The Children's Conscientiousness and Procrastination Scales (CCAPS; Lay, Kovacs, & Danto, 1998) exhibited high internal consistencies. Procrastination and Conscientiousness were highly, negatively related, consistent with previous research with related measures and with adult samples. Teacher and parent ratings of students were moderately correlated with the student's self-reports, thereby providing support for the convergent validity of the self-report measure. …

The Use Of Noncontingent Reinforcement In The Regular Education Classroom With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Children, Heather A. D. Ochs

Masters Theses

A problem that exists in many regular education classrooms is excessive disruptive behavior of students. This study will examine the disruptive behavior of two children, age 8, who have been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, in a simulated regular education classroom. Due to a renewed emphasis on linking treatment to functional analysis, noncontingent reinforcement was utilized to determine whether teacher mediated or peer mediated attention can decrease the disruptive behavior. This study used a multi-element design for the functional analysis and a reversal (ABAB) design to evaluate the effects of the noncontingent reinforcement treatment. Results indicated that peer attention was …

Grade Equivalents: Accuracy And Certainty Of Interpretations Among Parents, Teachers, And School Psychologists, Eric R. Smith

Masters Theses

Scores on standardized tests (e.g., Iowa Test of Basic Skills, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children III, Wechsler Individual Achievement Test) can be represented by a number of different metrics. One of the ways scores can be represented is with grade equivalents, which tend to be popular with parents and teachers because they seem to be fairly easy to understand. However, several researchers have claimed that grade equivalents are often misinterpreted. Standard scores are viewed by many researchers as the superior type of derived score. However, standardized scores can be difficult to understand, particularly for individuals with little or no training …

Collaborative Versus Prescriptive School-Based Behavioral Consultation: An Analysis Of Verbal Resistance, Brandon M. Royer

Masters Theses

Audiotaped problem analysis interviews involving actual referrals from 25 elementary school teachers were examined. A Teacher Resistance Code (TRC) was developed from Patterson's (1985) Client Noncompliance Code and used to evaluate verbal resistance in both "collaborative" and "prescriptive" problem analysis interviews. The relationship between resistance, interview condition, and treatment acceptability was assessed. Results indicated no significant differences in resistance between the collaborative and prescriptive conditions. Analysis of Intervention Rating Profile-15 (IRP-15) (Martens, Witt, Elliott, & Darveaux, 1985) scores between collaborative and prescriptive cases also revealed no significant differences. Analysis of the association between resistance on the Teacher Resistance Code and …