Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Examination Of Community Mental Health Services For Persons With Serious Mental Illness: A Descriptive Study Of 31 Counties In Michigan, Pamela C. Werner

Masters Theses

Thirty-one out of 55 Community Mental Health Boards participated in a survey conducted by the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Michigan. This study examined a number of variables in the questionnaire using a product-moment correlational analysis.

Results indicated that family and consumer input is modestly correlated with comprehensive service delivery and staff/consumer education and training. Budget and the active number of mentally ill cases had a low correlation with comprehensive service delivery and staff/consumer education and training. Interagency collaboration was modestly correlated with program evaluation, and comprehensive services available to consumers. Weaknesses were noted in the management structure of …

An Arbitrary Matching Training Supplement To The Avc Discrimination Test, Charles P. Buller

Masters Theses

Kerr, Meyerson and Flora (1977) devised a series of small learning tasks that could be used to assess developmentally disabled individuals on the typical tasks to be performed in a school setting or sheltered workshop and required only very simple equipment. Davine (1990) suggested that there may be transitional skills between AVC levels IV and V not found by Kerr et al. Davine looked at four experimental steps designed to test this notion. The results of this study were inconclusive. Wilson (1991) tested the same notion by devising a series of nonidentity matching tasks which were generally found to be …

Interest Group Influence On U.S. Congressional Committees: A Case Study Of The United States-Canada Free Trade Agreement, Laurel L. Hoffman

Masters Theses

The impact of special interests on Congress has long been a matter for concern. A content analysis of testimony presented at 14 Congressional committee hearings on the United States-Canada Free Trade Agreement revealed that three broad categories of witnesses participated: business, government, and non-business. Total testimony for business and government were comparable, while non-business had fewer witnesses and less testimony. Government supplied more testimony in oral form, which was interpreted as a higher degree of participation than written testimony, predominantly supplied by business. There was little evidence of lobbying coalitions as measured by crossreferencing; witnesses rarely referred to anything but …

An Arbitrary Matching Training Supplement To The Avc Discrimination Test, Charles P. Butler

Masters Theses

Kerr, Meyerson and Flora (1977) devised a series of small learning tasks that could be used to assess developmentally disabled individuals on the typical tasks to be performed in a school setting or sheltered workshop and required only very simple equipment. Davine (1990) suggested that there may be transitional skills between AVC levels IV and V not found by Kerr et al. Davine looked at four experimental steps designed to test this notion. The results of this study were inconclusive. Wilson (1991) tested the same notion by devising a series of non identity matching tasks which were generally found to …

Georgian Worldview: Its Definition, History, And Influence On The Material World Of Thomas Jefferson, Madison Scott Shumate

Masters Theses

The research of this thesis has been that of two directions. The first of these attempted to both define and expand that ideological concept known as the Georgian Worldview. By referencing the opinions of current authority and by examining the very origins of this concept's many attributes this thesis would suggest that the term "Georgian" encompasses far more than symmetry in architecture alone. With this said, however, it must yet be acknowledged that architecture, and particularly the balanced and refined Palladian examples of the eighteenth century, often represented the most clearly recognizable material manifestation of this particular pervasive mind set. …

Anthropometric Variation Of The Cherokee, Choctaw, Kiowa, And Pawnee Amerindians, Richard P. Bigee

Masters Theses

This thesis provides an overview of Anthropometric variation among six groups of American Indians: The Eastern Band of Cherokees, the Eastern Band of Choctaws, the Western Band of Cherokees, the Western Band of Choctaws, Kiowas, and Pawnees. Anthropometric variation among these groups is analyzed using a combination of historical and statistical information.

The history of the study groups was analyzed to determine the general level of health during the period leading up the point when they were measured under the direction of Dr. Franz Boas. It is revealed that all the study groups experienced considerable stress, which effected anthropometric measurements …

A Morphometric Study Of Sex Differences In Fetal Ilia, Susan Marie Cera Holcomb

Masters Theses

Considerable debate has concentrated on whether human fetal skeletal remains exhibit sexual dimorphism. Most attention has focused on the greater sciatic notch of the ilium, since it is a gross morphological characteristic with known sex differences in the adult and is easily seen in fetal skeletal remains. Previous traditional morphometric analyses of the fetal sciatic notch have, however, led to ambiguous results. The purpose of this study is to determine whether differences between the sexes can be discerned when modern morphometric techniques are applied.

Photographs of the ventral side of 133 fetal ilia of known age and sex from the …

Mdma And Memory: The Acute And Chronic Effects Of Mdma In Pigeons Performing Under A Delayed-Matching-To-Sample Procedure, Mark Lesage

Masters Theses

The physiological effects of (+) 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) have been studied extensively. The behavioral effects of MDMA, however, have not been examined in detail. In an attempt to gain further information about its behavioral effects, the acute and chronic effects of MDMA were examined in pigeons responding under a delayed-matching-to-sample procedure with 0-, 3-, and 6-s delays. In the absence of drug, accuracy (percentage o f correct responses) was inversely related to delay length. When administered pre-chronically, MDMA (0.32 to 5.6 mg/kg) decreased accuracy and response rates at higher doses. Tolerance developed following chronic exposure to 3.2 mg/kg. Performance did not …

The Effects Of Public-Posted Feedback On The Use Of A Photocopy Machine By Faculty In An Academic Department, Shijing Hu

Masters Theses

This study assessed the effects of a public-posting intervention on photocopy machine use by faculty members in an academic department. Public posting included posting of a chart that displayed number of copies made each week by individual faculty members along with the average cumulative rate of copying for previous weeks for each person. The intervention was applied in an A-B-A reversal design where data were collected prior to the intervention under usual conditions (A), during public posting (B), and after the public posting intervention was removed and usual conditions were restored (A). The results indicated that: (1) number of copies …

A Functional Analysis Of The Lithic Material From Burrone Scierra I (Calabria, Italy), Maureen A. Hays

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research is to investigate several aspects of function within Mousterian assemblages by performing an analysis of artifacts from Burrone Scierra I, a site on the Ionian coast of Calabria, Italy. This research focuses on the relationship between function and the edge angle, tool size, raw material, technology and typology. Another intent of this study is to examine what spatial integrity remained at the site. The study assemblage is a surface collection from a plow zone context. Because the collection under investigation is from plow zone context the methods employed are those developed for low power microwear …

Political Action Committees In The State Of Michigan, Keeley I. Taylor

Masters Theses

A survey was conducted of all political action committees (PACs) registered with the Secretary of State's Office in Michigan for the 1986 and 1990 Statewide elections. A portrait of the structure of the organization, decision making criteria, and solicitation techniques of Michigan PACs has been developed from the survey data.

Most PACs in Michigan tend to be infant organizations because they are cyclical in nature, forming and dissolving around election periods. They tend to form around economic issues; have no specific PAC office; no permanent staff; have little or no office budget; fund their activities through direct mail solicitation; focus …

The Effect Of Public Posting And Supervisor Recognition On Treatment Team Performance In A Mental Health Institution, Susan Mencarelli

Masters Theses

This study compared the effects of public posting and supervisor recognition on the performance of professional staff in a mental health institution. Eleven indicators of successful performance in the writing of patient treatment plans were established after an analysis of existing standards. Seven treatment teams comprised the subjects of the study and included psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, activity therapists, and residential care aides. Group performance data were used. The measurement and scoring systems which were developed proved to be highly reliable.

Neither form of performance feedback resulted in consistent improvement in performance on any of the eleven indicators. This …

Modelling Suture Ossification: A View From The Cranial Capsule, Hugh Bryson Matternes

Masters Theses

A review of the development, anatomy, and physiology of the human cranial vault suggests that post-adolescent ossification of the suture margins is dictated by interactions between tissues of the cranial capsule and forces deriving from ectocranial, endocranial and diploid sources. A model viewing suture physiology as sensitive to changes in the cranial capsule's environment is tested to identify whether several processes stimulate connective tissue transformation in the suture area. Correlation and factor analysis of the suture-to-suture interactions produced results indicating that when age is controlled, endocranial and ectocranial surfaces independently respond to pressures placed on the anterior and posterior portions …

The Differential Effects Of Performance Monitoring And Performance Contingent Consequences In A Laboratory Setting, Julie A. Glasser

Masters Theses

A simulated work task, consisting of paper and pencil quality control inspection, was used to examine the effects of performance monitoring and performance-contingent feedback on the quality and quantity of work produced. Six subjects were exposed to two treatment conditions. During monitoring only, a supervisor checked performance by asking subjects about their progress. During performance-contingent feedback, a supervisor informed subjects of the number of correct inspections completed on a sample page and summarized the quality of their work in a brief statement. Performance was measured in terms of error detection accuracy (errors missed and false error detections) and rate of …

The Rhetoric Of Slobodan Milosevic And War On The Territory Of Yugoslavia, Agneza Bozic

Masters Theses

The hypothesis of this work is that the political rhetoric of the Serbian leader, Milosevic, was among the major factors contributing to the political and social changes in Serbia and Yugoslavia, which ultimately led to the war.

Three of Milosevic's speeches were studied in detail: the speeches of April 24, 1987, October 17, 1988, and November 19, 1988. The method of rhetorical analysis was adopted from Andrews (1990) because this method stresses the importance of context and effects of the speech. The theories of political language (Graber, 1981) and of political rhetoric (Bitzer, 1981) together with Johannesen's (1989) theory of …

The Suburban Rice Farmers: Economic And Cultural Change In Japan, Makoto Chiwaki

Masters Theses

The world economic situation is forcing the Japanese government to initiate policies designed to make its rice farming industry more competitive on the world market. These new policies, along with the growth of Japan's urban areas, are causing certain stresses on the cultural institution called bunke among the part-time rice farmers in the Kaizuka region of Chiba City, Japan.

An ethnographic study of these farmers reveals that the farmers of the Kaizuka region have responded to recent changes differently from the farmers of other regions because of their cultural institutions and traditions.

Effects Of Clothing On Human Decomposition And Deterioration Of Associated Yarns, Shawn Elizabeth Cahoon

Masters Theses

This study focuses on how a single layer of clothing affects-human decomposition, and if human decomposition-has a noticeable affect on clothing materials. Two cadavers were placed at the Anthropological Research Facility in Knoxville, TN on January 16, 1991. One was clothed, the other was nude. Seven different types of yarns were attached to the inside of the clothing on the experimental subject, and another set of these yarns was anchored to the base of nearby tree to serve as a control sample set.

Cadavers were monitored as they decomposed, and insect activity was observed, from January 16, 1991 until May …

Knoxville's Poor Neighborhoods: Types Of Poverty In An Appalachian City, Sue A. Remaley

Masters Theses

In the past thirty years, the American public has developed a stereotype of poor urban neighborhoods. Most people equate urban poverty with blacks and Hispanics, female-headed families on welfare, crime, and dilapidated row homes. Academicians researching urban poverty are at least partially responsible for these images. Most urban poverty research has looked at northeastern and Midwestern cities, examined large cities, or assumed a nationally homogeneous type of urban poverty. These biases are most evident in recent studies on the underclass, which call for national government response to increasing poverty among inner-city blacks and Hispanics. As poor neighborhoods are affected by …

Perceptions Of Ncaa Time Restrictions On Female Student-Athletes And Women's Intercollegiate Athletics At The University Of Tennessee, Knoxville, Donna C. Thomas

Masters Theses

Intercollegiate athletics are a part of every day life for millions of people. Americans are involved in sport in a variety of aspects; fans, participants, coaches and administrators to name a few. At times, intercollegiate athletics have seemed to be outside the realm of the role of higher education. In an attempt to make the collegiate athlete indistinguishable from the general student body, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, through the leadership of the Presidents Commission, has begun an effort to reform sport programs. A part of this reform movement is the restriction of playing and practice seasons and time commitments. …

Cognitive Disability Theory As A Basis For Activity Analysis For Elderly Persons With Dementia, Deborah S. Kaeser

Masters Theses

Allen's (1985) Cognitive Disability approach provides a guideline for modifying the cognitive demands of an activity to match the abilities of an individual. Thirty older adults with a mean age of 78.1 years and a diagnosis indicating an irreversible dementia were selected for the study. A counterbalanced design was used to compare the performance of 15 individuals with a Level Three cognitive ability and 15 individuals with a Level Four cognitive ability on two tiling craft activities: one with Level Three cognitive demands and one with Level Four cognitive demands. Analysis of variance indicated a significant interaction between cognitive level …

A Behavioral Overview Of Self-Control, Shannon Kay Swick

Masters Theses

The present paper is a review of behavioral self-control literature with self-control defined as the choice of a larger, more delayed reinforcer over a smaller, less delayed reinforcer. The paper includes a self-control experiment in which the subjects were adolescent males labelled Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The results show higher levels of self-control than those generally seen in similar subject populations. Self-control literature in behavioral psychology is examined and explanations for varying results are discussed.

Letter Recognition By Mentally Retarded Adults: Improving Performance Through Differential Outcomes, Paul R. Malanga

Masters Theses

Four mentally retarded adults were taught to recognize (i.e., discriminate) finger spelling letters when presented as members of unchanging pairs (e.g., A and E, G and H). Correct responses were followed by food or verbal praise. On average, terminal accuracy was significantly greater when a correct response to a given letter was consistently followed by a particular outcome (e.g., food followed correct responses to A and praise followed correct responses to E) than when nondifferential outcomes were arranged (e.g., food followed 50% of all correct responses and praise followed the remaining 50%, regardless of whether the responses were to A …

Mtv Ideology: Rocking To A Different Beat?, Janelle L. Wilson

Masters Theses

This study analyzed 30 of the most popular rock music videos aired on Music Television Network in the summer of 1991. Using a qualitative content analysis, six prominent themes in these videos were identified: (1) eroticism, (2) female gender roles, (3) Americana, (4) violence, (5) religious symbols, and (6) clothing fetishism. From these themes, five values were discerned in the videos: (1) carpe diem, (2) individual freedom, (3) nihilistic religiosity, (4) nationalism, and (5) consumerism. It was found that these values constituted an ideology in music videos which in some ways reflects dominant American ideology. Their focus on appearance, their …

Perceived Importance Of Selected Nonverbal Cues In An Initial Encounter, Loretta L. Richter

Masters Theses

This study attempts to identify nonverbal cues which individuals are aware of using in an initial encounter and to identify the importance of those cues. It also a d dresses possible differences between men and women in nonverbal cue importance and possible differences based on the sex of the participant’s partner. Sixty-two male and female undergraduate students enrolled in communication courses interacted with a stranger and completed questionnaires which pertained to their partner's nonverbal behaviors. Results showed that the most important nonverbal cue for all participants was the amount of eye contact; the least important was body shape. Cues found …

A Survey Of Computer Use In Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Sites, Martha E. Parks

Masters Theses

Eighty-three Western Michigan University occupational therapy fieldwork sites were surveyed to determine: (a) extent of computer use, (b) diagnostic categories with which computers are used, (c) extent of computer knowledge of registered occupational therapists (OTRs), and (d) adequacy of computer knowledge of fieldwork students. Forty-seven (56.6%) of the 83 surveys were returned. OTRs at 36 (76.6%) of the 47 sites currently use computers. Word processing is the most common way in which these OTRs use computers. The most common clinical use of computers is perceptual/motor assessment and treatment, while the most common research use of computers is for report writing. …

From Welfare To Liberation: A Socio-Historical Analysis Of The Animal Rights Movement, Linda J. Rynbrandt

Masters Theses

This thesis is a socio-historical analysis of the animal rights social movement in the United States of America at the end of the 19th and 20th centuries. The theoretical model is resource mobilization theory, especially McCarthy and Zald's (1973) entrepreneurial model. The method, which contrasts this social movement at two points in time, is informed by Skocpol's (1984) interpretative historical sociology. In particular, leadership, ideology, organizational structure, and strategy tactics in both eras are examined. Comparing the two manifestations of animal rights protest, the data show that: (a) Leadership and organizational structure, though similar in many respects, are more professionalized …

Preventive Dental Care- Instruction And Contingency Management In The Acquisition And Maintenance Of Oral Hygiene Skills, Sandra K. Kallstrom

Masters Theses

Inadequate oral hygiene is one of the largest problems facing the dental profession to date. It is estimated that 98% of individuals suffer from dental problems associated with neglect. The objective of this study was to develop effective techniques which aided in the acquisition and maintenance of oral hygiene skills. This study compared the effects of instruction and demonstration with contingency management on plaque percentage scores. A between-subjects design was used with one control and three experimental groups. The results indicated that, oral hygiene instruction and demonstration appear to be ineffective in reducing plaque scores. Significant plaque reductions where found …

Hands-On Versus Verbal Occupation: Effects On Free Recall In Brain-Injured Adults, Aaron M. Eakman

Masters Theses

This study compared the effects of hands-on occupation versus verbal occupation in terms of free recall performance in brain-injured adults. Thirty males who had sustained a closed head injury with Rancho Los Amigos (Malkmus & Stenderup, 1974) cognitive levels of either VI, VII, or VIII were selected from nine midwestern brain injury rehabilitation facilities and randomly assigned to either the hands-on or verbal condition. After all subjects received preliminary verbal instructions for a food preparation occupation, verbal subjects again received the verbal information while the hands-on subjects prepared the food item. Subjects were then asked to recall the occupation's steps …

Personality Factors And The Type A Behavior Pattern In College Students, Karyn B. Cihak

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Federalism, Intergovernmental Relations, And The Illinois State Division Of Safety Inspection And Education, William E. Darrell

Masters Theses

Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) saturates the academic study and practice of public administration. The two are combined into a structure of government (federalism) and the flow of information and instructions within that structure (IGR). Forming a single and complex theoretical approach to public administration, they offer definition and clarification to the nature of American government. However, the approach is inherently biased - as currently offered. Deliberate or not, it stresses the supremacy of each level of government over lesser units - a clear hierarchical structure. A pyramid is often described with individual citizens as the foundation and national government …