Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Mandate For Fear Appeal Research: A Clearer Perspective, Elizabeth Cheney Michel

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The fear appeal is one of the most prevalent types of persuasion evident in society. A great percentage of advertising bases its success on "an appeal calculated to elicit anxiety on the part of the listener" (Miller, 1963, p. 117). Children have been reared on its admonitions. Nearly every American is by now familiar with the Surgeon General's Warning. The recent AIDS epidemic has prompted a highly consequential use of this appeal. If the effectuality of everyday fear persuasions can be left to chance, choice, or Mother Nature, this last lethal onslaught demands immediate attention from the communication community. An …

Effects Of Informed Consent On Client Behaviors And Attitudes In A Pro-Life Pregnancy Counseling Center, Kathryn Lynn Mardirosian

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Although current professional and public opinion support the right of the client to make an informed decision about entering and continuing in a psychotherapy or counseling relationship, research studying the effects of informed consent on client behaviors and attitudes in the medical, research, and mental health fields has resulted in equivocal findings. This study looked at the effects of an informed consent procedure on client behaviors and attitudes in a pro-life pregnancy counseling center where the center's primary goal is to reduce the number of abortion decisions among clients. Thirty of the center's clients (Experimental Group) were given an Informed …

Assessment Of The English Comprehension Level Test As A Predictor Of Success In Navy Recruit Training, Carla M. French

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

As of 1980, the total population of persons of Spanish origin in the United States was 14,609,000, or 6.4%, with over 2,000,000 of them Puerto Rican (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1983). Thousands of Hispanics are coming into the U.S. every year, both legally and illegally. They are the second largest minority in the U.S., and if growth continues at the current rate, they may outnumber Blacks by the year 2020 (Davis, Haub, & Willette, 1983).

Inoculation Theory: Motivation Mechanism Vs. Attack Credibility As Mediators Of Resistance To Persuasion, Peter F. Cranis

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Feasibility Of Computerized Cognitive Testing As A Surrogate Measure For Assessment Center Performance, Leilani M. De Saram

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The use of microcomputerized cognitive testing of personnel has thus far been limited to military and environmental stressor applications. The investigation of such testing as a substitute for assessment center performance represents a novel application of this technology. An examination of the relationship between performance on a cognitive test battery and assessment center performance was conducted.

A battery of selected microcomputerized tests measuring cognitive constructs was administered to assessment center candidates in law enforcement occupations. Contrary to expectations, the computerized cognitive measurements did not exhibit significant correlations with assessment center performance measures. It was speculated that the two measures assessed …

A Case Study In Rumor Transmission Based On The Leo Frank Case, George Mark Jackson

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the process of rumor transmission in an historical context. The basis was a case study of the Leo Frank incident. The editorials of Populist editor Tom Watson, written during Frank's appeal and commutation, were tested for emotional intensity. Significant findings tended to support the anxiety component of the Rosnow/Fine model for rumor transmission. The study was limited as there was no control condition without anxiety.

Toward An Annotated Catalog For Use In Communication Research, Gabe H. Kaimowitz

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Gatekeeping And Coorientation, Do They Mix?: / A Three-Way Analysis Of A Business Journal, Sheryl Anne Tumlin

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of A Support Group For Parents Who Have A Sexually Abused Child, Mark A. Winton

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the effectiveness of a Parent Support Group for parents who have a child who has been sexually abused. Twenty-seven pa rents completed pre- and post-evaluation packages to assess the effectiveness of the group. The Louisville Behavior Checklist, the Mother-Child Relationship Eva l uation, the Parenting Stress Index, an educational assessment form and a subjective evaluation using content analysis were used to test several hypotheses. The results indicated that there were significant decreases in the children's dysfunctional behaviors and an increase of the number of correct answers on the educational assessment. The subjective evaluation appeared to indicate that …

Leader Sex And Task Orientation: An Information Processing Perspective, Thomas Arthur Buhr

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The role of leadership and its effect on small group function and efficiency has led to a wealth of research data. Of particular importance to the real world outside the laboratory and the classroom are the leadership variables of sex and task orientation. In the last two decades, women have assumed more leadership positions in the business and political world than at any other time in the past (White, De Sanctis & Crino, 1981). In addition, there has been a call to examine the many different ways a leader can approach the group to accomplish a task (Fiedler, 1978). Two …

Escalation: A Closer Look At Allocation Decisions, David A. Hofmann

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The escalation of commitment to a particular course of action has, in the past eleven years, become an increasingly popular area for research in the psychological aspects of decision making. The major question posed by this line of research is: "Does an individual become so committed to a particular course of action that he/she can no longer analyze the situation objectively and, consequently, makes irrational decisions to continue investing when such activity is no longer advisable?" Staw (1981) states that the escalation phenomenon can occur when an individual becomes overly committed to a chosen course of action. He adds that …

Sense Of Humor And Social Anxiety, James E. Fischer

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

In utilizing humorous intervention within the psychotherapeutic milieu, researchers have indicated that there is a relationship between an individual's sense of humor and stressful emotions, specifically anxiety. However, the nature of this relationship is uncertain. While some scientists propose a direct relationship between humor and anxiety, others hypothesize an inverse relationship. This study was designed to investigate this relationship, hypothesizing that the greater an individual's sense of humor, the more likely the individual would experience anxiety in social situations. The subjects were 143 male and female undergraduates. These volunteers were administered the Situational Humor Response Questionnaire (SHRQ) and the Interaction …