Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Assessing Soccer Referee Performance Using Work Sample And Conventional Testing Methods, Robert L. Kuhnle

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

A game simulation consisting of game segments filmed from two camera angles, a behavioral event interview (BEI), a written test, and a physical performance test battery were compared for testing college soccer referees as linesmen. A content-oriented strategy (Alba & Dickinson, 1985) was used to prepare the tests. Sixty-one referees from two testing sites were assigned to one of two conditions of physical demand and one of three experience groups. Strong evidence of criterion-related validity was found for the game simulation from the press box camera angle when game simulation scores were compared with peer ratings and assessment scores. Mixed …

Causal Analysis Of Disengagement Among Paid And Volunteer City Employees, Margaret Carson Zimmerman

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This multivariate test of the full Mobley, Griffeth, Hand, and Meglino (1979) model of turnover used 184 volunteer and 202 paid workers employed as firefighters, library workers, and rescue squad workers. It addressed the issue of whether the motives and behaviors of volunteers could be accommodated by the same model that normally would be applied to paid workers. Little research exists on the characteristics of volunteer workers, and their worth and manageability are commonly denigrated. The study of volunteers is similar jobs to paid workers might reveal much about the disengagement process since the need to maintain a source of …

The Effects Of Training Strategies On Assessor Behavior And The Accuracy Of Assessment Center Consensus Ratings, Todd A. Baker

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of four training strategies (e.g., part, whole, individual, and team) on the accuracy of performance ratings and the occurrence of interactive behaviors in consensus meetings. The results were analyzed using a 2 x 2 factorial ANOVA design. Part and whole training strategies were directly compared with one another. Team and individual training strategies made up the other direct comparison. Undergraduates (N = 108) were randomly assigned to four training conditions. The subjects were grouped into teams of three assessors. In these teams the assessors needed to exchange information about assessee …

Gender Differences In The Relation Between Locus Of Control And Physiological Responses, Monique C. Grelot

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The relationship between locus of control and the physiological responses of heart rate (HR) and electrodermal activity (EDA) was investigated in 30 males and 31 females during an arithmetic task. The Levenson's Internal, Powerful Others and Chance (IPC) scales (Levenson, 1974) were used to assess the various degrees of internality for each subject. Additionally, to determine each subject's physiological Lability or Stability (LS), EDA was measured by recording spontaneous skin conductance responses during a ten minute rest period and to a tone (an Orienting Response (OR) task). A simple difficulty effect was found on the performance scores across the three …

Forced Sex In Battering Relationships: An Ethnographic Investigation, Leigh Hofheimer

Institute for the Humanities Theses

This research examines the complex problem of forced sex in battering relationships. Interviewing eleven women in a battered women's shelter in a southeastern city, I focused on both their perceptions of forced sex and its effects on their self-esteem, expectations and body-image.

Based on the interviews I conclude that forced sex needs a broader definition than the traditionally accepted definition of rape. In addition, the victims' memories of earlier incidents of physical abuse during sex may influence their perceptions of when they are being forced. This study suggests that future researchers and members of the helping profession should include the …

Economic Considerations For Artificial Reef Development In Coastal Virginia, Dean Thomas Devereaux

OES Theses and Dissertations

The contingent valuation method, recommended by the U. S. Water Resources Council, was used to estimate the economic value of sport fishing and diving at the Chesapeake Light Tower Artificial Reef. The study is based on a random sample of 170 anglers and 33 divers who participated in telephone, personell and mail-in surveys in 1985 and 1986.

The average user value (consumer surplus) was $21.13, $110,75, and $13.30 for head boat anglers, private boat anglers and sport divers, respectively, who claimed to have used the reef in 1985. Variation in consumer surplus was statistically affected by trip expense, distance from …

Principles Of Design For Complex Displays: A Comparative Evaluation, Sharolyn Ann Converse

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the main and interactive effects of information format, information density, principle of information grouping, orientation of the airspeed scale, and task type on response time (RT) and accuracy in a decision making task. Forty-eight college students viewed static displays of primary flight instruments and signaled responses to the displays by pressing keys on the computer keyboard. Three levels of task type were employed. In the current state estimation task, subjects were required to determine whether each individual instrument reading was within prespecified limits. In the future state estimation task, subjects were required to attend to the …

Performance Appraisal Ratings As A Function Of Source Of Ratings And Purpose Of The Appraisal, Richard J. Tannenbaum

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of purpose of appraisal ratings and source of appraisal ratings on four dependent measures: leniency, halo, variability, and construct validity. The purpose factor was comprised of four different levels: merit pay, performance improvement, research only, and no defined appraisal purpose. The rating source factor was comprised of two different levels: incumbent self-ratings, and supervisor ratings. One hundred and nineteen nursing assistants provided the self-ratings, and 39 nurses provided the supervisor ratings. Both sets of ratings were made using a 13-dimension graphic-type rating scale. Analysis of variance procedures were used to test the effects of appraisal …

An Examination Of Factors Which Contribute To Errors And Omissions In The Polling Place On Election Day, Ann J. Washington

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate and assess factors which appeared to contribute to errors and omissions made by the citizens who worked as election officers in the polling places in Norfolk, Virginia on election day. The study was conducted in two phases during and immediately following the November general elections in 1986 and 1987.

In the first phase, a comparison was made of two different approaches to formatting election-day procedural materials--subject-formatting and time-formatting--in an effort to determine which approach appeared to have a greater influence on reducing the number of errors and omissions occurring in the polling …

Development And Testing Of The Stress Adaptation Scale For Parents With Chronically Ill Children (Sasp), Carolyn M. Rutledge

Nursing Theses & Dissertations

This research study consisted of four phases used to develop and test the Stress Adaptation Scale for Parents with Chronically Ill Children (ASP). The first phase dealt with developing the items on the SASP from a review of the literature and the researcher's professional experience. The SASP was then divided into the six categories of health care, social, personal, familial, financial, and spiritual. In phase II, content validity was evaluated by a panel of experts. In phase III, stability over time and face validity was demonstrated using 26 parents of chronically ill children. The SASP achieved a Pearson's r=.85 with …

The Influence Of Nursing Experience And Education On Nurses Inferences Of Patients' Suffering, Patricia A. Coots

Nursing Theses & Dissertations

A primary dimension of nursing is caring tor patients who suffer. This study examined the inferences made about patients' suffering oy 65 registered nurses employed in acute care health facilities. Utilizing The standard Measure of Inferences of Suffering Questionnaire. the purpose of the study was to explore the influence of nursing education and experience on the degree of pain and psychological distress inferred by the nurses. Analysis of Covariance was used to test for group differences on the basis of nursing education when number of months of nursing experience was controlled. Although nursing education did not influence nurses' inferences of …

Television And The Integration Of Europe In The Era Of Satellite Communications, John Erick Roos

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The role television played in the integration of Europe through 1987 is examined in an analysis focusing on historical trends, integration theory, and the effect of satellite technology on the political environment in Europe. Television remained under the jurisdiction of national governments since its inception, satellite communications challenged the system of national control of television and changed television's role in Europe by introducing a revolutionary new delivery system. Integration theorists are cited to define the integration process and provide a foundation for a study of television's impact on European integration. Television policies in each nation are examined to document their …

Factors Involved In Battered Women's Decision To Leave Their Abusive Partners: Shelter Research In The Southeast, Mary Ellen Miles

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This paper is an examination of some of the factors involved in battered women's decision to leave their partners. A review of past literature on battering, suggests factors that account for the women's decision: 1. the more financially dependent (whether actual or perceived) the battered woman is on the batterer, the more likely the woman will stay in the violent relationship regardless of the shelter services offered; 2. women with a teenage child or children will be more likely to leave the violent relationship than women without teenage children; 3 . women who were abused as children will be more …

The Emergence Of A Medical School In Hampton Roads, John Pierce Flemming Iv

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Studies

This dissertation documents the early years in the campaign by community leaders in Norfolk and adjacent cities to establish a local medical school as a means to improving the quality of medical education in the Hampton Roads area. Although attention is focused on the period 1959 to 1973, it is not strictly limited to this period of time.

The methodology for this dissertation is based heavily upon oral research. As one historian pointed out, "What better way to learn about a particular time than from the mouths of those who lived it." Approximately forty individuals instrumental in the founding of …

Natural Language Human-Computer Dialogue: Menu-Based Natural Language And Visual Performance, Jeffrey John Hendrickson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study was conducted to determine design principles for menu-based natural language (MBNL) interfaces and to provide evidence for the nature of visual search processes with menu-based systems. The effects of window size, window activity, and query length were investigated. Window size was manipulated as a between-subjects variable with three levels representing a sixteen-item window size, an eight-item window size, and a four-item window size. Window activity was manipulated as a within-subjects variable with two levels representing single active and multiple active windows. Query length was manipulated as a within-subjects variable with three levels representing one-, two-, and three-item …

Investigation Of Display Issues Relevant To The Presentation Of Aircraft Fault Information, Donald Mark Allen

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study investigated the effects of different display, hypothesis presentation, information presentation, and parameter presentation styles on pilot performance. It was hypothesized that performance would be maximal using picture-based displays, presenting hypothesis information as a composite, showing only out-of-tolerance parameter information, and when parameter information was displayed as a bargraph. The results of the study indicated that pilot performance was best when employing picture- and text-based displays, when fault hypotheses were displayed as composites. There were no differences in response times when picture- and text-based displays were compared. Subjects' performances were best when hypotheses were displayed as composites compared …

Parent Participation In The Educational Process And Student Achievement, Linda Worrell Deans

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of parental involvement between parent and child as well as between parent and school. After the level of parent participation was established, the data set was used to determine whether a relationship exists between the level of parental involvement and student achievement at selected secondary urban schools. The selected secondary schools include two different school divisions.

The study employed five approaches: (1) a descriptive analysis of the variables of parental interaction with the child as it relates to a personal, affective level; a monitoring level; and a social level; as …

Dynamic Allocation Of Responsibility Between Operators With Different Models Of System Information Using Computer-Mediated Communication, Michele Terranova

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This research focused on the effectiveness of two operator teams for dynamic control of a process simulation. The responsibility for system optimization and failure detection was shared by the operators through computer-mediated communication. System information was displayed to both operators by one of three mental models of the systems: an alphanumeric/separable representation, a graphic/integral system representation, or both representations. The following team-display configurations were used: primary operator with graphic display, support operator with alphanumeric (GRAL); primary operator with alphanumeric display, support operator with graphic (ALGR); both operators with alphanumeric displays (BOAL); both operators with graphic displays (BOGR); and both operators …

Perceived Job Stress In Critical Care Nursing In A Military Setting, Jeannette Theriault

Nursing Theses & Dissertations

The purposes of this study. were: to explore job-related perceptions of stress in a group of military critical care nurses; and to determine if differences in anxiety and stress levels existed between nurses working in coronary care (CCCU) and medical/surgical intensive care (ICU) settings using the State/Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Questionnaire of Stressful Factors in Intensive Care. A free response question and a force-response checklist were also used to identify and rank work-related stressors. The sample of Navy nurses (n=105) consisted of 39 CCU nurses, 62 medical/surgical ICU nurses and 4 critical care supervisors. The results of the mailed …

The Influence Of Direct Versus Indirect Observation, Candidate Report Format, And Assessor Training On The Accuracy Of Assessor Ratings, Rudolph L. Johnson Jr.

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Within the assessment center method, assessors' preliminary evaluations of candidates' performance are typically based on information obtained through direct observation of the candidate's performance in the situational exercise, or on another assessor's report of that performance. This variation is somewhat disconcerting, however, in that its impact on assessor ratings remains largely unstudied. The primary focus of the present study was to assess the differential effects of observation type (i.e., direct observation, dimension-specific report, narrative report) on various measures of rating accuracy. In addition, the present study investigated cognitive modeling as an assessor training strategy, and its impact on rating accuracy. …

Factors Affecting The Efficacy Of Rater Training: Information Type And Mode Of Presentation, Todd A. Silverhart

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

In order to enhance the quality of performance ratings, researchers have directed their efforts towards training raters to evaluate performance more accurately. The purpose of the present study was to examine two factors that may affect the efficacy of rater training for improving the accuracy of performance ratings. One factor was the type of information that was presented during training (target score information, behavioral rationale for target scores, or a combination of target score and behavioral rationale). The second factor was the mode in which information was presented during training (feedback or feedforward). In addition to assessing the unique contribution …

Category Test And Wais Scores: Sex And Age Inter-Relationships, Julia Ann Shelton

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The current study investigated sex and age differences on the WAIS and Category Test in a sample of 218 persons, half male and half female, between the ages of 16 and 39. The sample was composed of well educated diabetics without neurological symptomatology and of above average intelligence.

Three types of statistical analyses were performed. The first of these were factor analyses of structural composition of WAIS and Category tests as influenced by sex. Results suggested that males and females exhibit different patterns of performance. The second analyses were regression analyses to predict Category Test performance from WAIS scores and …

Socialization For Professionals An Analysis Of The Process, Influencing Elements, And Outcomes, Catherine Via Cauthorne-Lindstrom

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the process of socialization of professionals in their educational setting and in work organizations after graduation from college. The purpose was twofold: to test an expectancy-based process model of socialization for its ability to predict commitment and retention intentions in both environments, and to identify differences in individuals' cognitive structures and value systems manifested at different points in the socialization process. Additionally, points of conflict between professional and organizational socializations were explored.

Subjects were 154 nurses and 190 teachers. For each of these professions, four subgroups were sampled: (I) students entering the professional phase of education; (II) …

Driver Response To Simulated Intersections: An Analysis Of Workload-Related Variables, Monty G. Grubb

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

A roadway intersection driving simulation was created to investigate driver information processing at intersections. Research participants were provided a visual simulation of approaching intersections using a video display with a 120 degree visual field. Six groups, each containing 12 subjects, were formed according to age and gender, with age ranging from 18 to 74 years. All participants viewed 14 separate intersections, which varied according to types of traffic control signs and signals. Individual workload was assessed in three categories of response: performance, subjective, and physiological. A MANOVA was performed on six dependent variables in the 3 (age) by 2 (gender) …

The Influence Of Rater Training, Scale Format, And Rating Justification On The Quality Of Performance Ratings By Three Rater Sources, Steven B. Woods

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The primary focus of the present study was to examine systematically the influence of rater training, scale format, and rating justification on the quality (i.e., convergent and discriminant validity, halo, leniency) of ratings exhibited by three rater sources (i.e., self, peer, observer). Ninety-one undergraduate students participated in a videotaped role play exercise and returned at a later time to take part in a three-hour rating session. These individuals provided self- and peer ratings. Forty-five advanced undergraduate students participated in a similar rating session and provided observer ratings. Convergent validity, discriminant validity, and halo were tested with the multitrait-multimethod analysis of …

Volunteer Trustees In Urban United Way Agencies, Rosemarie Scoti Cook

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of role and function of trustees and chief professional officers (CPOs) in non-profit, human services agencies that are members of the United Way of South Hampton Roads. Thousands of volunteer hours are expended annually in serving on boards of directors in the Hampton Roads area. These trustees who serve are legally accountable for the agencies, and have certain duties prescribed by their by-laws. However, role confusion and conflict exist over specific duties of trustees.

Responsibilities of for-profit board members were divided into four areas: management--control and oversight; adherence to legal …

The Implications Of Varying Levels Of Task Automation On Workload, Micheline Y. Eyraud

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study investigated the effects of the addition of automation on task workload. Utilizing a modified secondary task paradigm, the workload which was imposed by three different levels of automation, selected from the continuum of automation on each of two primary tasks, was assessed by comparing performance on a secondary task which remained unaided in all conditions. The levels of automation under investigation in the present study were manual, intermediate, and total aiding. The primary tasks selected for investigation were a sensory-decision making task and compensatory tracking task. A long-term memory task was chosen as the secondary task. It …

Decreasing Allied Support For Anti-Soviet Strategic Embargoes A Demonstration Of The Declining Hegemony Of The United States, Tracey A. Johnstone

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This thesis evaluates the declining hegemony of the United States over its allies since the end of World War II. Robert Gilpin and Robert Keohane's theories about the decline in U.S. hegemony are discussed as are the hegemonic theories of Gramsci as interpreted by Robert Cox. The three progressively hostile reactions of U.S. allies to U.S.-initiated embargoes against the Eastern Bloc are used to illustrate the decreasing control of the United States over the economic and strategic policies of its allies. The conclusion states' that Ronald Reagan ignored historical trends and contemporary international politics when he decided to force U.S. …

Bark Or Bite Perspectives On Economic Sanctions For Foreign Policy Objectives, Rodney W. Skotty

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Economic sanctions have been used throughout history to coerce target nations to acquiesce in the objectives of nations that impose them. The record of achievement, using sanctions as a tool of foreign policy, has been poor. Regardless, nations continue to use economic sanctions to attain their goals despite their relative ineffectiveness. And as nations apply sanctions frequently to resolve international conflicts, such frequency tends to impair the credibility of sanctions as an implement of foreign policy. The fact that they are imposed frequently, also reflects that they are used to rectify lesser violations of the international norm. In view of …

The Development Of A Paper-And-Pencil Measure Of Complex Cognitive-Perceptual Aptitude, Don Michael Mcanulty

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The primary purpose of the present research was a develop a complex aptitude test to assess individual differences in multiple cognitive and perceptual abilities that are required for helicopter pilot training. The paper-and-pencil test was designed to provide measures of both static and dynamic (i.e., learning) ability under different levels of complexity. The secondary research purpose was to develop a battery of eight psychometric tests to assess other abilities that are required for helicopter pilot training. Test prototypes were produced and administered to small samples of subjects. The tests were then revised into an experimental battery that required approximately 7 …