Psychology Commons^™

The Investigation Of An Imagery Technique As A Screening Device For Reading Difficulties, Joseph Saxe

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A form for assessing imagery ability based on behavioral criteria in response to an imaginary ball toss was developed and its utility as a screening device for reading difficulties was evaluated. The Imagery Assessment Form was administered to 167 kindergarten, second, fourth and sixth grade children. Grade and sex differences were compared and the imagery scores were correlated with standardized reading achievement scores. Significant mean score differences were found between kindergarteners and second graders only. Significant sex differences in imagery were observed across all grade groups. There was no sex by grade interaction. Positive significant correlations between imagery and reading …

Characteristics Of Parents Involved In A Parent Child Center-Head Start Program, Rebecca Selove

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An exploratory study was conducted to provide information for the coordinators of the Parent Child Center and Head Start (PCC-HS) Program in Leitchfield, Kentucky. Staff concern for parent involvement led to a search for parent characteristics which correlate with amount of participation in program activities. Sixty-five families, which included 65 mothers, 47 fathers, and 121 children, constituted the study sample. Data were obtained from records maintained by the PCC-HS staff. Variables included number of hours volunteered, age and level of education of each parent, estimated family income, family size, mother's enrollment in PCC when pregnant, number of children in the …

An Exploration Of Change In Teacher Concerns Over Time, Sharla E. Hutchinson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to reconsider the five factor structure of the Teach Concern Checklist (TCC) currently being utilized by the teacher Preparation Evaluation Program (TPEP) at Western Kentucky University. The problem was to replicate the three factor solution of the TCC proposed by George (1978) and to further explore the progression of teacher concerns with experience to lend support to the self-task-impact concern theory proposed by Fuller (1969)

Two hundred and sixty-five pre-service and in-service teacher participating in TPRP completed the TCC. These teachers represented the different experience levels of student. First, third and fifth year of …

Head Start Four And Five Year Old Children’S Attitudes Toward School As They Are Related To Achievement, Eugene Smith

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine if there existed significant relationships between 4 and 5 year old children’s attitude toward school, their classroom teacher’s perception of their attitude toward school, length of time in school, sex, or a composite of these with their achievement on the Pre-School Attainment Record. A random sample of 55 Head Start children completed three instruments. The instruments used in this study were a revised Children’s Attitude Toward School Scale (CATSS-R), (Beere, 1970) The Pre-School Attainment Record (PAR), (Doll, 1966) and the Teachers Rating of Attitude of Children Toward School (TRACTS). The results of …

Comparison Of The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test And The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale In School Age Children, Stephen Skiles

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The correlate relationships and directionality and magnitude of mean differences between MAs and IQs of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test and Revised Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (both 1960 and 1972 norms) were investigated in a sample of 225 school age children. It was found that MAs of two instruments were more highly correlated than the IQs. For the total sample, no significant differences were found between mean MAs of the two instruments. The correlation between PPVT and the 1960 Revised Stanford-Binet IQs and the correlation between PPVT and 1972 Revised Stanford-Binet IQs were found to be identical. The PPVT was found …

Demographic Characterization Of Wisc-R Factor Score Profiles, Don Twyman

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Factor score profiles based on scores in the standardization sample for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Revised were visually surveyed for patterns of the demographic characteristics sex, race, parent’s occupation and religion and area of residence, these characteristics having been listed with the intelligence quotients obtained in the standardization sample. Patterns of the demographic characteristics and frequencies were described over the range of profiles, then the various profiles were described individually in terms of percentage of frequency and predominant demographic characteristics. The profile descriptions demonstrate a differential distribution of characteristics in relation to profiles, and suggest investigation of …

Validity Of Bender Gestalt Test Emotional Indicators For Functional Fifth-Grade Children, Donald Britt

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Both the Bender Gestalt Test and the Children's Personality Questionnaire were administered to 75 fifth grade students. Analyses were made to determine the possible relationships between the Koppitz Emotional Indicators on the Bender Gestalt Test and the various personality factors assessed by the Children's Personality Questionnaire. The results of these analyses found few significant relationships. Those that were significant were frequently conflicting and the opposite of the results which would have been predicted by Koppitz. These results provide a basis for questioning the validity of the Koppitz Emotional Indicators and their adequacy for use as a technique for personality assessment …

Wisc-R Short Forms For Identification Of Intellectually Sub-Normal Children, John Ward

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to develop short forms of the WISC-R for use in identifying children as intellectually average or below average. The national WISC-R standardization sample and a local WISC-R generalization sample were used. Both samples were restricted to those subjects with Full Scale IQ scores less than or equal to 100. Five different development procedures were used. Three procedures used stepwise multiple regression and two procedures used multiple discriminant analysis. The short forms developed by the multiple discriminant analysis were the most accurate. The administration time per subject was reduced but scoring complexity was increased. Usable, …

The Effects Of A Group Therapy Program On Truancy, Keith Politi

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Two truancy groups were conducted for the Simpson County School System. A multifaceted group treatment approach was used with truants in an attempt to reduce school absences, increase feelings of personal and social security and change negative attitudes toward school. A contingency contract in conjunction with a modified token economy was used to increase school attendance. Group discussions were used to increase feelings of personal and social security and to change negative attitudes toward school. A comparison of group members pre- and postgroup school attendance records showed that group members significantly increased their school attendance. A comparison of group members …

The Efficiency Of Verbal & Nonverbal Intellectual Measures As Predictors Of Achievement In Culturally Deprived Preschool Children, Beverly Freeman

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of the study was to investigate the predictive efficiency of verbal and nonverbal measures of intellectual functioning of the disadvantaged child in a preschool setting. The Peabody Individual Achievement Test (FIAT) was used as a measure of the current achievement level, and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI), Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test (GHDT), and the Bender Gestalt as predictors of achievement. The sample included 30 preschool children in an age range from 5 years - 0 months to 6 years - 7 months who were enrolled in a preschool program for the culturally deprived.

Both the …

Development Of The God Concept In Children: An Exploratory Study, Dennis Feeley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A study was designed to explore the developmental relationship between early childhood concepts of parent and more adult concepts of God. It attempted to identify the age at which absolute attributes such as omnipotence and ubiquity are taken away from parents and assigned to God. Based on both the theories of Freud and Piaget it was predicted that the transition will occur between the ages of four and eight. Forty children were administered an interview questionnaire and two short stories all of which depicted an attribute or characteristic which is traditionally viewed as being associated with God. Both techniques were …

Relationships Between Mother Interaction Styles, Mothers' Estimates Of Their Infants' Level Of Development, & Infant Development, James Dunbar

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Relationships between mothers' estimates of their infants' level of development, the amount mothers vocalize and model to their infants, and their infants' actual level of mental and motor development were explored using infants between twelve and thirty months of age. The data were analyzed by separate Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficients between all variables. A significant correlation was obtained between mothers' estimates of their infants' level of mental and motor development and the infants' obtained level of mental and motor development as measured by a standardized test. It was also discovered that as the age of the infants increased, their …

The Effect Of Reinforcers On The Verbal Behavior Of Headstart Children, Deloris Floyd

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study attempted to assess the effect of a speech contingency reinforcement, administered by an interacting adult, to increase the number of word units uttered during test administration. More specifically, the experiment attempted to see if lower class children when given a reinforcer would take more time in giving elaborated and scorable responses on specific items, thereby raising their score on those items. Their performance was compared to lower class children who were not given the reinforcer. Fifty children from the Warren County 1973 summer Headstart program were used as subjects. The treatment conditions included a control group given no …

A Factor Analytic Study Of The Weschsler Intelligence Scale For Children-Revised, John Miller

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Since the original Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC, 1949) had recently undergone a major revision in content structure of the test and in the populations utilized for standardization, the present study sought to examine the factor structure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R, 1974) using test data from 126 white and black fifth graders from a predominantly lower middle class socioeconomic background. The analysis of data was performed by a principal components method of factor analysis utilizing Varimax rotation. The results of the data analysis indicated the presence of three primary group factors, and these factors closely …

The Protestant Ethic Effect: Children In A Multi-Choice Situation, Patricia Anderson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Twelve kindergarten and 16 first grade children were placed in a four Protestant Ethic to obtain tokens choice situation in order to investigate the Effect (PLE). The task for each child was to trade for candy. These tokens were available from three black boxes (choice locations) which were rotated in a clockwise manner around the four corners of the testing room. These three choice locations were as follows: (B1) a location where the child was allowed the option to manipulate switches and/or obtain freely accessible tokens, (82) a location at which tokens were freely accessible, and (84) the work location …

A Comparison Of Time-Out & Response-Cost Conditions Within A Token Economy Using Trainable Mental Retardates, James Willis

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An investigation was done on the relative effectivness of time-out and response-cost conditions in reducing inappropriate behaviors in a token-economy classroom using trainable mental retardates as subjects. A significant difference was found between baseline levels of inappropriate behaviors in each of the two conditions but no significance was indicated between time-out and response-cost conditions.

Personality Correlates Of Field Dependence/Independence In Preadolescent Children, James Koch Jr.

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationships between perceptual style as measured by the Children’s Embedded Figures Test (CEFT) and personality as measured by the Children’s Personality Questionnaire (CPQ). The sample included 69 fifth grade students of which 30 were male and 39 were female. All subjects were preadolescent children, of average intelligence, from lower class and lower-middle class socioeconomic homes.

Multiple regression analyses were utilized for the total sample and for each sex using the CEFT as the dependent variable and the 14 CPQ scales as independent variables. It was judged more meaningful to interpret only …

The Protestant Ethic Effect With Children In Multi-Choice Environment, Linda Brunick

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Nineteen first graders were placed in a four-choice situation which allowed investigation of the "Protestant ethic effect" (PEE). The S's task was to obtain tokens which could be traded for toys and candy. Tokens were available from any or all of the following quadrants (Q): (Q₁) a location where the S was allowed the option to manipulate a toggle switch and/or obtain freely accessible tokens, (Q₂) a location at which tokens were freely accessible, and (Q₄) a work location in which the S received tokens contingent upon the operation of a toggle switch. A …

A Relationship Between The Bender-Gestalt & The Burks Behavior Rating Scale For Organic Brain Dysfunction, Judith Chenet

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Sixty randomly selected first, second, and third graders were rated on the Burks Behavior Rating Scale for Organic Brain Dysfunction and were administered the Bender-Gestalt. The scores from each Burks category were compared to the Koppitz Developmental score on their corresponding Bender-Gestalt protocol. A Spearmar Rho indicated significant correlations (p<.05) between the total Burks score and the Koppitz Bender-Gestalt, the Vegetative-Autonomic scale and the Koppitz Bender- Gestalt, and the Perceptual -Discriminative scale and the Koppitz Bender- Gestalt. A nonsignificant negative correlation was found between the Burks Social-Emotional scale and the Koppitz Bender-Gestalt.

A Comparison Of The Intellectually Gifted, Average, And Below Average High School Subjects On The Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey, Lyda Parker

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between intellectual ability of 276 high school students and personality as measured by the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey (GZTS) factors. The 10 GZTS traits utilized were: General Activity, Restraint, Ascendance, Sociability, Emotional Stability, Objectivity, Friendliness, Thoughtfulness, Personal Relations and Masculinity. The study was designed to test for the relationship between three IQ groups (high, middle and low) and each of 10 GZTS personality factors. A multiple groups design was used, in which the three groups of subjects were blocked across intelligence. Ten one-way analyses of variance were performed to determine if …

The Effects Of Monetary Incentives On Group Intelligence Test Performance Of Lower Class Children, Larry Gerbig

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Since the advent of the first intelligence test in 1905, the primary goal of the psychometric field has been to obtain the most reliable and valid evaluation of an individual's level of intellectual functioning. The major difficulty concerning this goal, however, has been how to motivate the individual to work at his optimum level of performance. Terman (1916) attempted to solve this motivation problem through the use of praise. "Exclamations like 'Fine!,' Splendid!,' etc. should be used lavishly. Almost any innocent deception is permissible which keeps the child interested, confident, and at his best level of effort Cio. 120." Terman …

Ua35/11 Student Honors Bulletin, Vol. I, No. 1, Wku Honors Program

WKU Archives Records

Articles written by honors program students. They were originally research projects, class papers or essays written for academic credit, but in each case the student has done further work editing and improving his or her manuscript for this publication. The articles represent a broad range of interests and disciplines, and they indicate a healthy attempt on the part of at least some students to dig for deeper knowledge and understanding than is usually associated with undergraduate study.

• Harris, James. The Trent Affair; Restraint vs. Irresponsibility
• Massey, Scott. Foolishness
• Oskins, Doug. Reuse of Sewage as a Potable Water Supply
• Alvey, Richard. …

Contingent Video Consequences For Discrimination Performance Of Retarded Children, Linda Flatter

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Four Ss were selected from the population of residents of Cloverbottom Hospital and School to participate in the present study determining the effectiveness of video presentations as reinforcing consequences for discrimination learning. The task consisted of sorting stimulus discrimination cards on the basis of form and/or color. The S received either "snow" or self-video consequences via a television monitor. Both S-paced sorting and E-paced sorting were employed to determine the effect of each procedure. This study demonstrated that video consequences as well as sorting procedures influenced performance of these Ss. An individual S analysis revealed differential effects across Ss. Results …

The Relationship Between The Intelligence & Emotional Stability Of Seventh & Eighth Grade Pupils, Thomas Boone

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A question nearly as old as the intelligence test itself led the author to make the investigation upon which this thesis is based. For years people in education and related fields have speculated as to whether the most intelligent children were the most stable emotionally or whether these brighter children tended more readily than the dull or average child to exhibit undesirable personality variations.

Practically everyone has, at some time in his life, used one or two isolated circumstances to prove the point that the more intelligent children were emotionally unstable or that the duller children were more unstable , …