Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Tips, Volume 08, No. 4, 1988, Wolf P. Wolfensberger

Training Institute Publication Series (TIPS)

• Miscellaneous Prison News

• No Safe Place Left Anymore

• Capital Punishment

• Capital & Punishment

• Police & Criminal Justice Tales

• The Rich & the Poor

• Excerpt from London, by Samuel Johnson "All Crimes Are Safe. But Hated Poverty..."

• Homelessness & Street People

• Homeless in Britain

• A Hell of a Way to Get Shelter

• Let Them Eat No's

• Ship of Fools

• It 's a Dog's Life (Nelson, 1982, Avoiding Institutions)

• Higher Values & Societal Issues

• Our views of the modem monkey trials

• Let Gott do it

• …

State Psychological Associations, Licensing Criteria, And The “Master’S Issue”, Robert H.I. Dale

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

The psychological associations in the 50 states and the District of Columbia were surveyed with regard to their membership structure and the status of master's-level members. Most (31) of these associations closely follow the membership criteria established by the American Psychological Association, allowing associate membership for master's-level personnel, whereas 15 associations provide full membership for such personnel. A minority (17) of the state psychology boards provide some form or licensing or certification for master's-level personnel, and 5 more states provide for registration of such personnel. It is argued that the structures of state psychological associations reflect a tension between two …

Introducing The Living With Illness Group: A Specialized Treatment For Patients With Chronic Schizophrenic Conditions, Thomas G. Plante, Stephanie L. Pinder, David Howe

Psychology

This paper introduces a specialized psychotherapy/psychoeducational group treatment for patients with chronic psychotic symptoms who receive only partial benefit from psychotropic medications, psychotherapy, and milieu/activities therapy. The goal of the group is to assist patients to accurately identify the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors that are dysfunctional symptoms of their disability and then use the functional aspects of their brain as well as learned coping strategies to compensate for their disability. The group format, philosophy, procedures, and typical topics of discussion are detailed.

Perceived Severity Of Informal Sanctions: A Case Study Of Convicted Dui Offenders In Cass County, North Dakota, Terry D. Stratton

Theses and Dissertations

It Is estimated that alcohol plays a factor in between 35 and 64 c'-rcent of all fatal crashes and between 6 and 25 percent for non-fatal accidents, resulting in alcohol .being involved in about half of the roughly 50,000 annual traffic fatalities in the United States. Clearly, drinking-and driving is a major contributor in both the severity and the frequency of traffic accidents.

The basic concept of deterrence states that people will refrain from behavior defined as socially-unaccc.ptable if the resulting perception and fear of penalties (or sanctions) against such action are adequately undesirable in comparison to the potential benefits …

The Incestuous Family: Development Of An Enmeshed Family Inventory, Loretta M. Petrie

Theses and Dissertations

A systems model has been proposed as useful theoretical framework for the study of incestuous families (Alexander, 1985) and is frequently used in the therapeutic treatment of the victim of sexual abuse and his or her perpetrator (Larson and Maddock, 1986). The purpose of this study was the construction and standardization of an instrument for assessing a multiaxial model of enmeshed and disengaged family systems which is based on the prior work of Minuchin et al. (1978) and Kog et al. (1987).

Minuchin et al. (1978) suggest that enmeshment, conflict-avoidance, over-protectiveness and rigidity are four characteristics that are key to …

An Analogue Of Science, Michael Albert Minervini

Dissertations

There is no science of human behavior, not even an incipient one. The popular conception of applied behavior analysis as a genuine principle-driven technology is mostly an illusion. Two sorts of evidence support this conclusion. The first is an ever widening split between the field's basic and applied realms. The second, thus far unacknowledged, is that when the concepts of operant and respondent conditioning are extended to human behavior, they are often rendered as no more than metaphors. These metaphors are not confined to casual discourse or even to interpretation. In fact, they are the prevailing form of extension in …

The Psychological Needs Of Sex Offenders Of Children As Measured By The Personality Research Form, Shirley Anne Miller

Dissertations

Major contributors in the field of child sexual abuse have agreed that sex offenders who sexually abuse children are not primarily motivated by sexual desire and have proposed that the simultaneous satisfaction of a number of psychological needs is the prominent motivation of sex offenders of children. Few attempts have been made to empirically validate the clinical and theoretical impressions regarding the psychological needs of this group using psychological measures designed to assess needs or motives.

The purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent the assumptions about the psychological needs of sex offenders of children would be …

The Development Of A Personalized Computer Assisted School Psychology (Casp) System, Patricia Lou Steinert

Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to develop a model computer system to assist school psychologists in managing and manipulating data accumulated in the course of accomplishing their professional responsibilities. School psychologists have traditionally generated large amounts of data, but rarely have they looked across these data to obtain information and/or feedback about their own functioning relative to their professional role. The system described is intended as a model from which an individual psychologist might construct a system to meet individual needs. Data across students were accumulated in four broad areas: (1) personal effectiveness/accountability, (2) diagnosis, (3) local test norms, …

Productivity And Affective Responses To Work Tasks And Leisure Activities In Type A And Type B Individuals, Susan Jean Paske

Masters Theses

The Type A Personality Index, a measure of whether an individual tends to be a Type A or a Type B personality, was given to 30 male and 30 female college students who then participated in a planting activity, presented as either a work task or a leisure activity. Productivity was measured by number of pottings, and affective responses to the activity in the areas of evaluation, power, and action were determined by Osgood's 12-scale short form semantic differential (OSD). No significant correlations were found between personality type and productivity or OSD scores in either the work or leisure conditions. …

The Effects Of Hydrocortisone And Caffeine On Memory For Word Lists, Daniel L. Scharf

Theses and Dissertations

Hydrocortisone has frequently been hypothesized to increase arousal. This hypothesis was primarily based on the findings of increased adrenal size in animals who had been exposed to stressful conditions and the enhancement or impairment in cognitive abilities of humans depending on dose. There has been a lack of studies directly looking at the arousal hypothesis of the effects of hydrocortisone. The purpose of this study was to directly assess the effects of hydrocortisone on levels of arousal by manipulating both state and trait arousal. This study used caffeine as a comparison drug that alters state arousal because of its widely …

Comprehension Of "Absence" By An African Grey Parrot: Learning With Respect To Questions Of Same/Different, Irene M. Pepperberg

Sentience Collection

An African Grey parrot, Alex, learned to report on the absence or presence of similarity and difference between two objects. Alex was shown pairs of objects that were (a) totally dissimilar, (b) identical, or (c) similar or different with respect to one of three attributes (color, shape, or material). In the first two cases, he responded to the respective queries of "What's same?" or "What's different?" with the vocalization "none," and in the third case he responded with the appropriate category label ("color," "shape," or "mah-mah" [matter]). His accuracy was 80.9% to 83.9% for pairs of familiar objects not used …

Development Of A Weighted Application Blank For The Carryout Clerk Classification In A Large Retail Organization, Linda Gabbard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a Weighted Application Blank to predict turnover for use as a selection tool for a large retail organization. Utilizing the England (1971) procedure, it was hypothesized that significant derivation and cross-validities would be obtained. The hypothesis was partially supported: the derivation validity coefficient was significant (r = .28, p < .01) and the resulting cross-validity coefficient was net significant (r = 19, p < .05). The results and recommendations for implementation of the WAB are discussed.

Inescapable Shock Increases Finickiness About Drinking Quinine-Adulterated Water In Rats., Clinton Chapman, Nancy Dess, Thomas Minor

Clinton D Chapman

Conducted 3 studies with 108 male rats to examine the effect of inescapable shock on finickiness, operationally defined as suppressed consumption of quinine-adulterated water. Exposure to a single session of inescapable shock increased finickiness relative to simple restraint or no treatment. The effect of shock on finickiness was replicable, was specific to adulterated water, and persisted for at least 24 hrs. The weak quinine solution rejected by shocked Ss supported a conditioned taste aversion, suggesting that the difference between shocked Ss and controls was not due to the inability of the latter to taste the quinine. It is suggested that …

Effects Of Flat Panel Display Parameters Across Three Application Areas Upon Similarity Judgments, Novia Weiman

Dissertations and Theses

A human performance experiment was conducted to investigate pixel parameter requirements for three types of flat-panel display images: an alphanumeric character, an oscilloscope waveform, and a real-world image. Subjects performed similarity judgments between an extremely high-quality image and an image composed of different levels of anti-aliasing and pixel width-plus-pixel separation (pitch). It was found that the effect of pitch had greater influence on perceived image quality for the alphanumeric character and oscilloscope waveform than for the real-world image. The results of this research provide empirical evidence showing that the pixel pitch requirements for flat-panel systems that are used to display …

Tips, Volume 08, No. 3, 1988, Wolf P. Wolfensberger

Training Institute Publication Series (TIPS)

• Societal Trends & Signs of the Times

• Progressive Decline in Amity Between the Sexes

• Cardboard Cakes for Cardboard Weddings?

• Loss of Reproductive & Child Rearing Competency

• Sexual Exploitation of Children

• MAD, SAD, RAD, & HAD

• Keep Your Hands Off My Philes

• A Modest Proposal

• The Artificial or Unnatural Making of Babies

• The Abortion Scene

• The Creaking of Breaking & Melting Social Structures

• Trial by Fire?

• Melting Values & the Rise of Kooky Religions

• Pagan Voodoo as High Science

• The Individualism of Modernism, & Its Entitlement …

The Effect Of Sex, Gender Identity, & Sex Of Story Characters On The Assessment Of Moral Development, Cathy Frey

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present study investigated the three areas associated with sex bias in Kohlberg's theory of moral development --sex, gender identification, and sex of story characters. The Defining Issues Test (DIT: Rest,1986a), a measure of moral development derived from Kohlberg's theory, was used in its original form and two revised forms (Male and Female versions) to determine the effects of sex and sex of story characters on the assessment of moral development. The Bem Sex -Role Inventory (Bem, 1981) was used to classify subjects as either sex -typed or androgynous to determine whether sex -role identification affects the assessment moral development. …

The Effect Of Deliberate Faking Good And Faking Bad On Spiritual Well-Being Scale Scores In A Church Sample, Alice V. Moody

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study investigated the effect of faking (good and bad) on Spiritual Well-being (SWB) Scale scores. It is a true experiment with three levels of the independent variable: fake good, honest responding, and fake bad instructions. The sample consisted of 172 adults from a community church Sunday School class and a group for those overcoming some addiction and/or abuse. A demographic questionnaire was given along with the SWB Scale. An analysis of variance was run for each of the dependent measures: SWB and its two subscales, Religious Well-being (RWB) and Existential Well·being (EWB) . ANOVA and Scheffe post hoc test …

Views Of Cesarean Birth Among Primiparous Women Of Mexican Origin In Los Angeles, Laura H. Cummins, Susan C. M. Scrimshaw, Patrice L. Engle

Psychology and Child Development

This study examined data from a larger project on the cultural context of first birth among low-income women of Mexican origin giving birth in Los Angeles. Data on knowledge of cesarean birth and perceptions of the cesarean birth experience were collected. In addition, differences in perceptions of the experience between women giving birth vaginally and those giving birth by cesarean as reported in the literature were assessed. Five hundred eighteen women were surveyed, of whom 58 had a cesarean birth. Statistical analyses revealed few significant differences between the two groups with regard to childbirth knowledge and attitudes, which may indicate …

Impact Of Exchange Variables On Exit, Voice, Loyalty, And Neglect: An Integrative Model Of Responses To Declining Job Satisfaction, Caryl E. Rusbult, Dan Farrell, Glen Rogers, Arch G. Mainous

Glen Rogers

The Moderating Effects Of Evaluation Apprehension And Group Goals On Social Loafing, Thomas Rauzi

Student Work

The social loafing effect, that subjects work harder alone than in groups, was contrasted against the use of two motivational techniques. Subjects were 80 undergraduate students at a midwestern university. A 2 x 2 factorial design was employed contrasting the use of group goals with the salience of evaluation apprehension. Subjects, working in groups of four, were asked to generate possible uses for common objects during two timed work periods. Results provided support for an Interaction Hypothesis: that group goal or evaluation apprehension conditions are sufficient to increase performance over a social loafing replication condition. However, the actual presence of …

Tips, Volume 08, No. 2, 1988, Wolf P. Wolfensberger

Training Institute Publication Series (TIPS)

• The Deathmaking Scene

• Societal Deathmaking as the Backdrop to More Specific Types of Killing

• Privatization of Deathmaking

• Deathmaking via Surrogate Decision-Making

• Pre-Birth Deathmaking

• More Utilitarianism

• Perinatal Deathmaking

• Making Dead the Children

• Disdain for Child Health & Safety

• Sexual Exploitation of Children

• "Euthanasia"

• The Slippery Slope is Alive, "Well," & Slippery

• Official/Legitimized Medical "Euthanasia"

• Free-Lance "Euthanasia" by Medical Care Personnel

• Private "Euthanasia"

• Suicide, & Its Promotion

• Deathmaking via Low Quality Practices or Abuse in Human Services

• Iron Stomach?

• The Deceptions Surrounding Deathmaking …

Choice Responding In Pigeons Exposed To Sequences Of Fixed-Ratio Schedules: Effects Of Multiple Components, Susan Goeters

Masters Theses

The present study used a discrete-trials procedure to examine choice in pigeons presented with two- to five-component sequences of fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement. Results of the first phase indicate that the majority of choice responses were allocated to the schedule containing the shorter initial fixed-ratio component regardless of the number of components assayed. These findings support the notion that temporally prior reinforcers minimize the effects of subsequent reinforcers and overall response requirements. Phase two findings indicate, however, that under some conditions, fixed-ratios other than the first, lawfully, although weakly, influence choice.

Studying Situations And Identities Using Experiential Sampling Methodology, Peter J. Burke, Stephen L. Franzoi

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

This paper explores a central question in social psychology: How are particular meanings of particular identities selected in a situation? This question was examined in a field setting, using experiential sampling techniques in which participants carried an electronic timer for two days as they engaged in their normal activities on a college campus. When the timer signalled them, participants responded to a questionnaire concerning who they were with, what they were doing, what identities and roles they were involved in at the time, and what their perceptions were of the situation. From the work of Burke and Reitzes, which postulates …

Self-Control In Mentally Retarded Adolescents: Choice As A Function Of Amount And Delay Of Reinforcement, Steven P. Ragotzy

Dissertations

Three severely mentally retarded adolescents were studied under discrete-trial procedures in which a choice was arranged between edible reinforcers that differed in magnitude and, in some conditions, delay. In the absence of delays, the larger reinforcer was consistently chosen. All subjects directed the majority of choice responses to the smaller reinforcer when the larger reinforcer was sufficiently delayed, although the value at which this occurred differed across subjects. Under conditions where the larger reinforcer initially was sufficiently delayed to result in preference for the smaller one, progressively increasing in 5-s increments the delay to both reinforcers increased percent trials with …

Effects Of Task Difficulty, Performance Consequence, And Social Interaction On Physiological Reactivity In Post-Coronary Patients, A. Janelle Maldonado

Dissertations

Three experiments were performed to determine the effects of three task variables and Type A behavior pattern on physiological reactivity to time-limited math and anagram tasks. In the first experiment, ten post-coronary patients performed time-limited computer tasks under two performance consequence conditions: Point Reward or presentation of an Auditory Blast combined with two task difficulty conditions (40% and 60% difficult). The findings of Experiment 1 indicated that while the tasks did produce levels of physiological reactivity comparable to those observed in the literature, there were no significant main effects for either variable for any of the five measures. A significant …

The Effectiveness Of Feedback Procedures On Machine Set-Up Time In A Manufacturing Setting, Connie J. Wittkopp

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a treatment package designed to improve and maintain set-up time in the extrusion department of a rubber manufacturing company. Subjects were exposed to various behavioral techniques including training and a feedback system in the form of both written and verbal supervisory comments with an emphasis placed on improving performance through use of videotaping. An attempt was made to maintain treatment gains by teaching supervisors how to give information concerning set-up performance to their employees. Results indicate that average weekly set-up times for each machine were significantly below baseline …

An Analysis Of Four Empathy Variables As Predictors Of Marital Satisfaction, Teck Seong Chee

Masters Theses

The objective of this study was to determine if empathy was predictive of marital satisfaction, and which, if any, of the four empathy variables from Davis' Interpersonal Reactivity Index (1980), would serve as predictors of marital satisfaction. Correlation and regression analyses were used to evaluate the relationships of fantasy, empathic concern, perspective taking and personal distress with marital satisfaction. Variables of secondary interest included those of sex. birth order, length of marriage and age married. Both Individuals and couples were used as units of analysis.

Empathic concern and perspective taking were found to be predictors of marital satisfaction. No significant …

Spatial Vision: Age And Practice, James Pasley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Previous studies have shown that practice can improve adults’ ability to discriminate between two similar high frequency spatial patterns. Adults trained on this task also demonstrated significant improvement on a standard acuity test which is dependent on high frequency information. The aim of this study was to extend the range of training patterns to low (1.7 c/deg) and middle (4.0 c/deg.) spatial frequencies, and to determine if practice in a similar spatial frequency discrimination task would transfer to other spatial tasks dependent on low frequency information. Fourteen subjects in three age groups (young, middle and old) were tested before and …

Sex Role Orientation And Self-Esteem Of Female Varsity Athletes, Recreational Athletes And Nonathletes, Jo Ann Utley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The relationship between athletic participation, sex role orientation and self-esteem has received little attention from researchers and the relationship of these variables among females has not received as much attention as it has among males. It has been theorized that participation in sports, particularly team sports, may effect an increase in self-esteem due to increased positive body image and tend to “masculinize” women and/or attract females who possess or value more masculine traits and behaviors.

To address these issues, a comparison of sex role orientation and level of self-esteem was made with female varsity athletes, recreational athletes and nonathletes at …

The Effect Of Social Context & Group Decision Making Formats On An Evaluative Task, Joyce Bowers

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A review of the literature on decision making indicated a lack of research attention given to the effects of the dynamics of the social context surrounding participation on decision outcomes. The present study examined the relationship between social context and group decision making formats, and its implications for the effective implementation of group participation in decision making The effectiveness of three decision -making formats, the nominal technique, the interacting technique, and the consensus technique, were compared under conditions of cooperation and competition on the three decision effectiveness dimensions of quality, acceptance, and synergy.

Two-hundred and forty-eight undergraduate students, working in …