Psychology Commons^™

Barriers To Lesbian Health Care, Paula Bowles

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The primary purpose of this research was to examine a sample of sixteen lesbian women regarding the barriers to lesbian health-care. From this information several interpretive findings regarding lesbian health-care are made. Data were gathered via indepth interviews with each individual lesbian. The data suggest that most lesbian women do not reveal their sexual orientation to their primary-care physician for fear of reprisal. Most of the women interviewed do feel they receive adequate health-care from their physician. The women who participated in this project did so confidentially and were assigned pseudonyms. They were asked questions on a variety of topics, …

The Effect Of Task Versus Ego Oriented Feedback On Exercise Enjoyment, Marc Fields

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Intrinsic motivation has been shown to be a very important factor in exercise adherence. Research has found that factors such as exercise intensity, social feedback, goal orientation and perceived climate can affect intrinsic motivation. The purpose of this study was to assess situational goal orientation, specifically whether individuals in a task induced condition or ego induced condition would report different levels of intrinsic motivation (i.e., enjoyment, tension, effort and competence during exercise). Participants (N= 114) rode on an exercise bike for 24 minutes at a moderate intensity. A MANCOVA factorial design was used to examine differences in intrinsic motivation. The …

Effects Of Perceived Costs And Rewards On Motivation And Retention Of Rape Crisis Center Volunteers, Amanda Grissom

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to obtain information that may assist Rape Crisis Center (RCC) volunteer coordinators and executive directors in the recruitment and retention of volunteers. The major hypotheses guiding this study are as follows: (a) the reasons that initially motivated volunteers to volunteer at the RCC will be the same as their reasons for why they are continuing to volunteer at the RCC and (b) volunteers at RCCs continue to volunteer because the perceived costs of volunteering do not exceed the perceived rewards of volunteering. Using a modified version of Black's (1989) questionnaire, respondents were asked to …

A Comparison Of Symptom Severity Between University Counseling Center And Community Mental Health Center Clients, Joshua Gunn

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present study compares presenting levels of psychological distress at a university counseling center and a community mental health center. The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) was completed by clients at intake, and the results were subjected to statistical analysis. A significant difference was found between the two service units on the Global Symptom Index and all nine scales of the BSI. There were no gender differences in overall levels of psychological distress; however, a difference was found on the interpersonal hostility scale. Implications of the study, as well as limitations and suggestions for future research, are discussed.

Distributive Justice: Perceptions Of Star Player Treatment In Work Team Settings, Nadim Zaidy

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present study examined the effects of punishment given to the most valued team member who has committed a company rule violation. The team is working on an important project where the contribution by that valued member is critical to project completion. The study assessed the effects of the severity of rule violation, the severity of the punishment, the consistency of the punishment, and who is impacted by the punishment. The results indicated that when a valued employee has committed a rule violation, applying consistent punishment is perceived as more fair and appropriate by the teammates. However, when that valued …

Distributive Justice And Punishment In Team Sports, David Bucur

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Distributive justice outcomes of punishment in an intercollegiate team sport setting were investigated. Male intercollegiate athletes (#=148) participating in the NAIA National Soccer Championship Tournament responded to one of eight scenarios and reported perceived fairness to player, fairness to teammates, deterrence to future player misconduct, and deterrence to future teammate misconduct. The results indicated that athletes perceive consistent distribution of punishment as more fair than conditional distribution of punishment; consistently distributed punishment is perceived to be more likely to deter future misconduct than conditional punishment; punishment, in general, is perceived as more fair when the violation committed is severe as …

Temporal, Perspectives, Dispositional Styles, And Subjective Well-Being, Mary Naeger

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study investigated the relationship between time perspective (TP) and the personality dispositions of optimism, pessimism, and realism with regard to their proposed influence on three measures that collectively assessed subjective well-being (SWB). The Depression-Happiness Scale (McGreal & Joseph, 1993) assessed happiness or the presence of positive affect and the absence of negative affect, the cognitiveaffective components of SWB. The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985) provided the measurement of subjective life satisfaction, the essential final cognitive-judgmental component of SWB. The Life Orientation Scale-Revised (LOT-R) (Scheier, Carver, and Bridges, 1994) and a Reality Scale, composed …

Distributive Justice And Perceptions Of Fairness In Team Sports, Leslie Specht

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Distributive justice refers to the perceptions of fairness of outcomes received by individuals for their efforts in organizational settings. Punishment is frequently used to eliminate offensive or undesirable behavior in organizations. The present study was based on distributive justice theory and assessed the effects of severity of punishment and the application of distributive justice rules in a sports team setting. Eight scenarios were developed combining two levels of distribution of punishment (consistent or conditional), two levels of severity of misconduct (severe or moderate), and two levels of severity of punishment (severe or moderate). It was hypothesized that consistent punishment across …

Attitudinal Outcomes Of Punishment Events In Team-Sporting Settings, Jason Tapp

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The organizational justice perspective suggests that procedural and distributive justice evaluations of a specific punishment event will affect an individual's reactions to the punishment. A 3 (decision-making procedure: autocratic, participative, group) X 3 (punishment severity: low, moderate, high) factorial design was utilized to develop punishment scenarios in team-sport settings which were evaluated by 205 participants. Decision-making procedure and punishment severity both produced significant main effects on evaluations of the fairness of the procedure. Only punishment severity produced a significant main effect on perceptions of the fairness and appropriateness of the punishment, as well as on perceptions of the likelihood of …

Impact Of Violence Prevention Programs On The Attitudes Towards Guns And Violence Among Third Through Sixth Grade And Seventh Grade Students In The Bowling Green Independent School District, Michelyn Bhandari

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of violence prevention programs on the attitudes toward guns and violence among students in grades three through seven. This study represents an attempt to prove that third through sixth grade students who receive anger control training and seventh grade students who receive conflict resolution training will show a significantly lower attraction towards guns and violence than students receiving no such training. By understanding interrelation between adolescents' attitudes towards guns and violence and their psychosocial functioning, the public can seek out ways of preventing violence. To measure the impact and to …

Anger And Alcohol Use: A Model Of Coping Styles, Alcohol Expectancies And The Experience And Expression Of Anger, Shauna Willard

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The researcher investigated the relationship between anger experience and expression, coping styles, and expectancies regarding the effects of alcohol in a young male population. Anger experience and expression was measured using the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory, coping styles were assessed using the Coping Response Inventory, alcohol expectancies were determined using the Alcohol Effects Questionnaire-2, and alcohol use was measured using the Alcohol Use Inventory. The results indicated that young males who abuse alcohol utilize less effective coping styles, such as cognitive avoidance. Alcohol abusing males also believe alcohol will increase their power and aggression. A linear regression demonstrated that males …

Adolescent Perceptions Of Risk-Taking Behaviors, Susan Matthews

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Adolescents often make adult decisions regarding their lifestyle and behavior with little support from their family and community. In this study the researcher examined the difference in risk-taking behaviors between genders and the role that families and communities play in reducing risk-taking behaviors. In the study I further analyzed self-reports of numbers of development assets those students reporting participation in high-risk behaviors. Method: Data were obtained from a sample of convenience of (N=82) 12^th grade students. Behaviors and attitudes were examined using the Search Institute’s Profiles of Student Life survey. Results: Chi square was used to test for significant …

Personality Types Of Registered Nurses Employed In A Rural Community Hospital, Tina Snodgrass

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to identify the personality types of registered nurses in a rural community. An extensive literature review revealed that no studies, utilizing the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to identify personality types, had been conducted with rural nurses. Jung's Psychological Type Theory was the theoretical framework for the study. The MBTI operationalizes Jung's theory and was utilized to determine the most frequently occurring personality types of the nurses. A descriptive study was conducted at a 68 bed acute care hospital. The sample consisted of 40 experienced registered nurses working in staff positions within the hospital. Sensing, …

The Effect Of Self-Focused Attention On Psychopathology, Keith Payne

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This study investigated whether self-focused attention is related to psychopathology in general or if, instead, specific types of self-focus are associated with specific disorders. Self-focus was measured as private self-consciousness, public self-consciousness, emotional self-reference, or performance self-reference. Personality measures included depression, phobias, 'health concern, obsessiveness, and disordered eating. Public self-consciousness was related to greater depression, obsessiveness, and disordered eating. Private self-consciousness was positively correlated with depression and obsessiveness. Performance self-reference was related to lower levels of depression and obsessiveness. The findings indicate that different types of self-focused attention are involved in different disorders. Results are interpreted with reference to self-awareness …

Work Redesign And Its Influence On Employee Motivation And Job Satisfaction, John Koscielniak

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Reengineering and work redesign have become the buzzwords of the healthcare industry giving rise to the unprecedented growth of reengineering / work redesign consultants who offer cookbook methods to make the organization efficient and reduce costs. The unfortunate consequence of this rush to redesign is that the employer accepts recommendations to change the organization without knowing the state of the workforce. The purpose of this research is to test the effects of work redesign as implemented at two for-profit hospitals using a measurement tool developed specifically for work redesign. The intent is to compare the hospitals separately as each work …

The Relationship Between Vision And Athletic Performance, Steven Richard Wininger

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In today's competitive world of athletics it is not uncommon to discover a few athletes actively involved in some form of vision enhancement motivated by the promise that the exercises will improve their athletic performance. A review of past and present literature in the area of sports vision revealed that these athletes are performing exercises based upon a very weak scientific foundation. Most of the research investigating the relationship between vision and athletic performance has been plagued by flawed methodology, as well as extremely low numbers of subjects. The purpose of this study was to test for any relationship between …

Ua35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin, Wku Honors Program

WKU Archives Records

The WKU Student Honors Research Bulletin is dedicated to scholarly involvement and student research. These papers are representative of work done by students from throughout the university.

• Balyeat, Douglas. Expectations Gap: Where Were the Auditors?
• Brown, Kaye. Larry McMurtry: Saddle Up or Leave the Old West Behind
• Fridy, Geraldine. Stephen Crane's Maggie. Another Example of Patriarchal Misogyny?
• Hazelwood, Shirley and Kay Redfern. Effectiveness of Psychosocial rehabilitation Programs: Do They Make a Difference in the Re-hospitalization of the Mentally Ill?
• Johnson, Sean. Effects of Time-out as a Procedure to Decrease Maladaptive Behavior
• Leibering, Elisa, Michelle Nye and LauraLee Wilson. Euthanasia: Legal, …

Ua35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin, Wku Honors Program

WKU Archives Records

The WKU Student Honors Research Bulletin is dedicated to scholarly involvement and student research. These papers are representative of work done by students from throughout the university.

• Alkolibi, Fahad. Bowling Green Urban Heat Island
• Chattin, John. John Grimes' Abandoning of Religion in James Baldwin's Go Tell It on the Mountain
• Clark, Michelle. Abortion and the Moral Status of the Fetus
• Garrett, Kristy. The Making of a Serial Killer
• Lilley, Elizabeth. Is Environmental Recovery Possible in Prince William Sound Following the Alaskan Oil Spill?
• McMurtry, Brian. Biblical Imagery and Symbols in El Arbol De Oro
• Metzger, Kim. The Rise and Fall …

The Effects Of Decreased Uncertainty And Telescopic Versus Full Field Training On The Useful Field Of View, Lauren M. Jackson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The “Useful Field of View” (UFOV) is the entire area in which information can be gathered without moving the eyes or head (Ball, Beard, Roenker, Miller & Griggs, 1998). Previous research has demonstrated that the UFOV shrinks with age (Scialfa, Kline & Lyman, 1987; Plude & Doussard-Roosevelt, 1987: Ball et al., 1988). With decrement in the UFOV, everyday activities, such as driving and walking can be limited. If the area in which information is received is smaller, then objects seem to appear suddenly and here is little time to react to them. One example of an everyday activity that would …

Ua35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin, Wku Honors Program

WKU Archives Records

The WKU Student Honors Research Bulletin is dedicated to scholarly involvement and student research. These papers are representative of work done by students from throughout the university.

• Basham, Penny. The Ritalin Controversy: Hyperactive Children and Medication
• Buote, Kim. The Transmission of Negative Feedback: Obstacles, Effects and Suggestions
• Cowan, James. The 1988 Presidential Primaries: Search for Bandwagons
• Durfey, Suzanne. AIDS: Nutrition and Its Implications
• Felty, Jeff. Gay and Lesbian Couples
• Gilliland, Linda. Muffins and Aspartame or Sucrose
• Graham, Ken. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
• Grubbs, Morris. Conflicts and Synthesis in Robert Penn Warren's Blackberry Winter
• Medeiros, Lynne. Problems of Democratic Republicism in …

Ua35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin, Wku Honors Program

WKU Archives Records

The WKU Student Honors Research Bulletin is dedicated to scholarly involvement and student research. These papers are representative of work done by students from throughout the university.

• Coates, Alan. Management's Attitude Toward Collective Bargaining
• Frew, Becky. The Effects of Personality Type and Social Support on Instances of Job Stress
• Green, Laura. Earth Sheltered Housing
• Gregory, Vicky. Fraud and Abuse by Medical Providers in Medicare and Medicaid
• Hignite, Susan. Japanese Students in Kentucky Classrooms
• Hodum, Martha. The Mathematically Gifted Child
• Jones, Rodney. Superman to Censorship: America's Romance with the Comic Book
• Marrs, Shawn. Romanticism and Unromanticism in Sir Gawain and the …

Depression In Caregivers Of Alzheimer’S Patients: Concurrent Validity Of Two Depression Scales, Joyce Sutton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Forty-five male and female family caregivers of institutionalized and noninstitutionalized Alzheimer’s Disease patients were assessed for depression, using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Internal consistency and concurrent validity for the BDI and GDS were acceptable, based on item-total correlation, coefficient alphas, and a Pearson’s Product-moment correlation. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was carried out to determine which variables predict depression in Alzheimer’s caregivers. Using the traditional cut-off score of 11 for each scale, it was found that 42% were depressed on the BDI, while 58% were depressed on the GDS; these rates were not significantly …

Depression In College Students: Construct Validity Of The Student Experience Inventory, Angela Kramp

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research suggests that the population of undergraduate college students may be especially prone to depression. While the prevalence of depression within the general population ranges from 3 to 9 percent (Boyd & Weissman, 1981), it has been shown that between 15 and 46 percent of undergraduate college students suffer the symptoms of mild to severe depression (Beck & Young, 1978; Oliver & Burkham, 1979). Although depression is prevalent among college students, there are no known instruments yielding indices of depression specific to the college population. In fact, depression measures frequently employed in college settings seldom recognize the unique features of …

Ua35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin, Wku Honors Program

WKU Archives Records

The WKU Student Honors Research Bulletin is dedicated to scholarly involvement and student research. These papers are representative of work done by students from throughout the university.

• Whicker, Garth. Agriculture and the Development of Malaysia
• McGaha. Rape, Passion, Lechery, Usury, Incest, Murder and other Matters in The Ravenger's Tragedy
• Harrison, Robert. It was a Day of Very General Awakening . . : Reformation and Revival in Russellville, Kentucky
• King, Betty. An Affirmative Decision for James's Isabel Archer
• Sutton, Joyce. Sex Bias in Performance of Women
• Logsdon, Doug. Poe's Women
• Yoder, Nate. Emily Dickinson and Her Puritan Heritage
• Davis, Aleen. Jay …

The Relationship Between Drinking And Assertiveness In College Students, Ernest Small

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The relationship between drinking patterns of college students and their measured level of assertiveness was examined in this study. The subjects were categorized into six groups based on their self-reported frequency and amount of drinking. They were also asked to record the number of drinks they had drunk in the prior week. The MacAndrews Alcoholism Scale and the Rathus Assertion Schedule were administered to all the subjects. Pearson Product-moment correlations were calculated to assess the relationship between levels of drinking, the number of drinks in the prior week and scores from the Rathus Assertion Schedule and the MacAndrews Alcoholism Scale. …

Ua35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin, Wku Honors Program

WKU Archives Records

The WKU Student Honors Research Bulletin is dedicated to scholarly involvement and student research. These papers are representative of work done by students from throughout the university.

• Albin, Bettye. John Dryden's Criticism: The Neglected Link
• Allen, Christopher. Martial Reflections: Ancient Cultures and Their War-Gods
• Case, Laura. Climatic Preference
• Deller, Kathy. Regression Analysis: The Effects of Advertising, Price, Income and Import Sales on American-Made Auto Sales
• Downing, Elizabeth. Dorothy Leigh Sayers: Detective of Literary Theory in The Mind of the Maker
• Elder, Janice. A Retrospective Study on Discharge Planning and Primiparas at Breckinridge Memorial
• Flora, Joan. Narcissism and the Need for …

The Relationship Between Number Of Sessions And Client-Judged Outcome, Jay Athy

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Outpatient clients from a community mental health center were surveyed by questionnaire to examine the relationship between number of therapy sessions attended and client-judgments of therapeutic outcome. The results indicated that client-judgments of therapeutic benefit tended to be independent of length of therapy when the client-judgement is a global assessment of therapeutic benefit. Controls for mode of therapy, initial diagnosis, type of referral, and status of case yielded similar findings. The nature of these relationships was nonlinear with the possible existence of different zones of sessions that account for varying degrees of client-perceived success. It also appeared that clients evaluated …

Prediction Of Premature Termination Of Psychotherapy In A Community Mental Health Center, Jane Hoppin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine if prediction of premature termination of psychotherapy through the use of the Barrett-Lennard Inventory. The Study was conducted at health center and involved the clients could be attained Relationship a community mental of five therapists. The Relationship Inventory which assesses the relationship between client and therapist was mailed to clients who had terminated therapy against the advice of their therapists, and to clients who were still in therapy. The clients were asked to fill out the questionnaire anonymously, and send it back to the Center. Demographic data, such as age, sex, marital …

Ua35/11 Student Honors Bulletin, Vol. Iv, Wku Honors Program

WKU Archives Records

The articles, all papers done for classes in the university honors program, are divided into three groups. The first group deals with science, especially the area of health care, one of the more practical applications of science in the modern age. The second group consists of three papers done for honor courses in which the major purpose was to expose the student to new areas of consciousness and have them respond orally and verbally to what they read, creative writing. The last group deals with the humanities, literature and religion, two of the more popular fields of the humanities today. …

Verbal Reward & Punishment & Need For Approval In Schizophrenics, Chester Gay Jr.

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The current study was designed to further examine the effects of verbal reward and punishment on task performance of schizophrenics. The relationship of need for approval of schizophrenics (as measured by the M-C SDS) to performance and to reward and punishment was also examined. Verbal reward and punishment along with need for approval served as independent variables. Task performance was the dependent variable. The following major questions were asked:

1. Does verbal reward and punishment significantly influence performance of schizophrenics?
2. How is the personality construct, need for approval, related to performance of tasks by schizophrenics?
3. Is there a significant interaction between …