Psychology Commons^™

College Students' Perceptions Of Parental Sexuality, Nancy L. Janisz

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Pocs and Godow (1977) published research results indicating that college students experienced difficulty in considering their parents as sexual beings. The results of the present study were based on responses of 330 college students to a questionnaire authored by the examiner. Results were compared to Pocs and Godow's results, and research data from Kinsey (1948, 1953) and Hunt (1972), which presented the reported frequencies of sexual activities of the parent-aged population. The comparisons suggest that although estimates of the subjects in the current study were higher in all areas than in the Pocs and Godow data, today's college students still …

The Effect Of A Pet's Presence Upon Anxiety During A Simulated Clinical Interview, Kenneth G. Weigand

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Recognizing the importance of evolutionary parallels between humans and other animals, researchers make use of animals to better the understanding of people in various fields of study, such as history, ecology, medicine, psychology, and sociology (Levinson, 1978). Boris Levinson (1962) was an early advocate for the inclusion of pets in psychotherapeutic intervention. His theories have been frequently cited in research that has attempted to define the possible benefits associated with utilizing pets as an adjunct in the treatment of disturbed populations. The results of studies with varied populations indicate that a pet's presences can lower a person's anxiety level, positively …

Personality Variables Mediating Change In Concern Toward Environmental Issues, John Mark Davis

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have for several decades examined the relationships between personality and demographic variables, pro-environmental behaviors, and level of concern toward environmental problems. In this study, personality and selected demographic variables contributing to an increase in concern toward environmental issues were examined. Subjects included 79 females and 46 males with a mean age of 22.5 years who were enrolled in undergraduate courses at the University of Central Florida. During the first session, information concerning personality and demographic variables was obtained and subjects completed Weigel and Weigel's (1978) Ecological Concern Scale (ECS). During the second session, experimental group subjects viewed a video …

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 …

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 …

Death Anxiety Among Older Adults As A Function Of The Christian Faith With Specific Reference To The Experience Of Being "Born Again", Wendy E. Holland

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Sixty male and female subjects between the ages of 60 to 84 years were administered three questionnaires concerning death anxiety, religiosity, and life satisfaction. Data were collected and analyzed by Pearson r correlation as well as by multiple regression analysis.

Findings included those subjects considering themselves to be "born again" Christians scored significantly lower on the death anxiety scale than did those respondents considering themselves Christian, but not "born again." Subjects considering themselves to be non-Christian/Other did not correlate significantly with death anxiety. Life satisfaction was not a significant predictor of death anxiety. Subjects indicating more conservative/fundamentalist denominational affiliations indicated …

An Evaluation Of A Parent Sex Education Program, Janice Devlin

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Sex education during childhood and adolescence is much more than a "birds and bees" discussion between a mother and a daughter or a seventh-grade science unit on human reproduction. It is, rather, a pervasive experience involving children's everyday interactions with friends, family, and their wider social environments. Elizabeth Roberts (1980) has developed a framework for understanding sexuality that emphasizes the broad-based nature of sexual learning. She focuses on six dimensions of sexuality which are socially learned: gender role, affection and intimacy, family roles and social life styles, body image, erotic experiences, and reproduction. The role of the family in each …

Vasectomy: A Literature Review With Implications For Pre-Vasectomy Counseling, Annette Thrift Wing

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Cognitive And Social Desirability Factors In Marital Adjustment For A Sample Of Retired Older Adults, Priscilla B. Wilson

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated cognitive components of marital adjustment and the role of social desirability response sets in a sample of retired older adults. It was hypothesized that higher marital adjustment scores would correlate negatively with dysfunctional beliefs concerning marriage. The objectives of the study were to identify which irrational beliefs are related to higher and lower levels of marital adjustment, and to determine the extent to which higher adjustment scores reflect the tendency to respond in a socially desirable manner. The sample consisted of 45 married couples, each partner of which was retired and aged 65 years or older. Assessment …

Effects Of Volunteer Activity On Psychosocial Adjustment Among The Elderly, William R. Criss

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This research was carried out to determine if psychosocial adjustment improves for elderly persons engaged in volunteer activity. Questionnaires were completed by 27 persons aged 60 or over before and two months after beginning volunteer activity at one of 33 Florida community hospitals. A control group of 37 persons without hospital volunteer experience also completed these two questionnaires, which covered several aspects of psychosocial adjustment, including self-esteem, life satisfaction, sense of control, optimism, anxiety, depression and somatization. An analysis of covariance with repeated measures indicated that there was no significant improvement in subjective well-being associated with volunteer activity after accounting …

Initiation Of Sexual Behavior In The Marital Relationship, Nancy Roberts-Cruce

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

While traditional beliefs and some research show that men have been more likely than women to initiate sexual activity, recent research indicates that traditional patterns of sexual initiation may be changing especially for married couples. Also, patterns of initiation seem to be related to sexual satisfaction. Specifically, women who always take the initiative and those who never do are the least satisfied with their sex lives. Conversely, those wives who initiate sex half the time are very happy with their sex lives. Since it appears that initiation of sexual activity is related to satisfaction with sex, information regarding why a …

Children's Attributional Style And Length Of Stay In An Alternative Education Program, William E. Pinnell

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has linked attributional style in children to self-esteem, loneliness, depression, general distress, and reading persistence to the learning disabled. The current study sough to determine if specific attributional styles in children were correlated with their length of stay in a behaviorally based Alternative Education program. Sixty-two first-grade through sixth-grade children were recruited from two Alternative Education campuses in Polk County, Florida. They each completed two administrations of the Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire (CASQ), separated by a two-week interval, and one administration of the performance Expectation Questionnaire, (PEQ), which assessed the children's expectation of their ability to perform tasks …

Soap Opera Viewers' Perceptions Of The Real World, Gayle Seese

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The frequency of occurrence on typical soap operas of incidents such as homicide, infidelity, and mental breakdown is much greater than is the case in real life. Also, various occupations (e.g., medical profession, legal profession) are overrepresented in these programs. The present study investigated the extent to which heavy soap opera viewers are influenced by these representations. Specifically, the differences between long term soap opera viewers’ and non-soap opera viewers’ perceptions about people and events in the real world were investigated. The subjects’ perceptions of the frequency of occurrences in the general population of such events as divorce, extramarital affairs, …

Psychological Responses Of Fathers And Mothers To Amniocentesis, Nancy D. Williamson

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Amniocentesis is one of the most widely used prenatal diagnostic techniques for congenital disorders. It was hypothesized that the psychological responses of mothers and fathers to amniocenthesis during high-risk pregnancies would be positively correlated on scales of Symptomatology (Anxiety, Depression, Anger, and Somatic Complaints) and Well-Being (Relaxed, Contented, Friendliness, and Somatic Well-Being). It was also hypothesized that Symptomatology would be negatively correlated with Well-Being. Nineteen couples, who were referred by their physicians, voluntarily participated in the study. Each partner completed the Symptom Questionnaire (Kellner, 1983), a self-rating scale of Symptomatology and Well-Being, in addition to the Pre-Amniocentesis and Post-Amniocentesis Questionnaires …

A Study Of The Effects Of Fishbowl Group Structures On The Verbal Self-Disclosure And Feedback Of Graduate Clinical Psychology Students Participating In A Systematic Human Relations Training Laboratory, Dana R. Taylor

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Love In The Eighties: A Test Of The Socioeconomic Theory, Loretta L. Givens

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Expression Of Anger As A Function Of Self-Esteem, Kimberly M. Brooks

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship between level of self-esteem and anger expression. Fifty female and 36 male university students completed the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale and the Anger Self-Report. A 3 x 2 AVOVA showed a significant relationship between self-esteem and the ASR scales of Anger Awareness, Guilt, Mistrust, and Total Anger. In addition, women were found to experience significantly more anger-related guilt than men, while verbal and physical anger expression were both characteristic of men. The results further indicate that men experience greater mistrust and suspicion of others These finding suggest that low self-esteem individuals report more anger, but have …

The Effect Of Differential Levels Of Assumed Confidentiality On Amount Of Self-Disclosure In Hight Trait-Anxious Students, Gretchen S. Thwing

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Anxiety, Sex-Role Orientation, And Computer Interaction, Mary Donlin-Senne

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

A group of 125 female college students were given Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory and Bem's Sex Role Inventory. Those females with minimal typing skills and minimal computer experience interacted with a computer ten minutes and then given a second State Anxiety Inventory. Pretest and posttest data were obtained from forty-eight subjects selected on the basis of Bem's Sex Role Inventory to test the hypotheses: females that score high on the Androgynous scale of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) will experience relatively low levels of anxiety while interacting with computer, females that score high on the Feminine and Undifferentiated scales …

Effects Of Classroom Setting On Self-Esteem In Learning Disabled Students, Drema G. Moody

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the self-esteem of learning disabled students required to attend learning disabilities classes. Subjects were 35 7th- through 9th-grade, male and female learning disabled (LD) students. Nineteen of the subjects attended at least one resource LD class while the other 16 subjects attended mainstream classes. These groups were matched on intelligence quotients (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised) and reading comprehension standard scores (Peabody Individual Achievement Test) so that no significant differences between the groups, on these measures, existed. The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (Fitts, 1965) was administered to all subjects, along with the closing question, "Does attendance in learning …

Depth Of Process Involvement As A Function Of Structure In Training Groups, David H. Broome

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Ability To Discriminate And Pronounce Foreign Language Phonemes As A Function Of Age, Maria J. Correa

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Fifty native English speakers (ages: 3, 9, 11 and adults) were asked to discriminate and pronounce Spanish words. The Wepman Auditory Discrimination Test was administered to the subjects to assess their discrimination abilities in their native language. A training session using English pairs of words showed that five-year-olds improved in their discrimination abilities after training but three-year-olds did not. Pronunciation was scored by two native Spanish speakers. Analyses revealed that older subjects pronounced the Spanish words significantly better than did younger subjects. Similar results were obtained for the analyses of Spanish phoneme pronunciation. Moreover, analyses of discrimination abilities on the …

Black's Perception Of Blacks And Whites In Relation To The Expression Or Inhibition Of Anger, Charlie W. Johnson

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The present research was concerned with examining the presence of anger in black subjects and determining if and how the experience of anger influences their perceptions of other blacks as well as whites. The hypotheses underlying the present research were: (1) Blacks who inhibit anger (anger inhibited) would exhibit a greater likelihood of viewing whites positively while viewing blacks in a more negative fashion; (2) Blacks who express anger (anger expressed) would exhibit a greater likelihood of viewing blacks more positively while viewing whites in a more negative fashion; (3) Differences were anticipated in the ratings of black vis-a-vis white …

Achieving Tendency, Sex-Role Orientation And Video Game Playing Experience In College Females, Teresa J. Holden

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Lethality Assessment Analogue: A Behavioral Measure For Evaluating The Suicide Intervention Competency Of Crisis Hotline Volunteers, Amparo A. Pita

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The need for behavioral evaluations of volunteers performing hotline crisis work led to the development of the Lethality Assessment (LA) Analogue. This measure is designed to evaluate the competence of hotline volunteers in performing the specific crisis intervention skill of Lethality Assessment. This skill is the ability of the volunteers to assess suicide risk in a caller. The specific procedures used in the development of the LA Analogue and preliminary validation data on its use are reported. The development stages of the LA Analogue were following: (a) operationally defining the skill to be assessed, (b) the formulation of a case …

Understanding The Accident Process: Crisis Intervention For The Industrially Injured, Karen W. Sharpe

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the concept of the accident process plays a significant role in determining the course of treatment for the industrially injured. The accident process suggests that underlying psycho-social factors may result in the occurrence and/or maintenance of a state of disability. This disabled state provides greater needs satisfaction for the individual than his habitual behavioral repertoire. the development of the accident process suggests a state of crisis, either as a result of chronic difficulty or an acute reaction to sudden onset of illness or injury. Total rehabilitation of the individual is facilitated by a crisis intervention approach.

Locus Of Control In Voluntary And Involuntary Psychiatric Patients, Christopher B. Karegeannes

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Psychiatric inpatients, consisting of 32 males and 33 females between the ages of 15 and 58 completed Rotter's (1966) Internal-External Locus of Control (I-E) Scale. The scale was administered individually to the patients at both admission and discharge, at the Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) in Orlando, Florida. Analysis of variance was used to determine whether there were significant differences due to commitment status (voluntary and involuntary), diagnosis (thought and affective and other disorders), and change scores (admission versus discharge). The hypothesis that involuntary patients would produce significantly higher scores was not confirmed. Further, no significant difference was found due to …

The Adult Client's Conception Of Confidentiality In The Therapeutic Relationship, Philip O. Toal

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The adult client's conception of confidentiality in the therapeutic relationship and the valuing of this confidentiality was examined and defined in this paper. The importance of confidentiality and its effect on the therapeutic process was explored. Many professionals in the field of mental health believe that confidentiality is a critical factor in the successful outcome of therapy (Hayt, 1977; Lowenthal, 1968; Reynolds, 1976; Tancredi & Slady, 1975). It is viewed that confidentiality is expected by clients when entering into a therapeutic relationship, and is essential in the therapeutic process. The variables that may affect the client's conception of, attitudes toward, …

The Influence Of Induced Self-Awareness On Sex-Typed Behavior, Kevin J. Lopyan

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the experiment was to contrast a person's adherence to private and public standards of conduct under varying situational settings. Prior to the experimental session female undergraduate students filled out a questionnaire that asked about their own attitudes towards exercising. Two types of subjects were brought into the laboratory: those who privately favored exercise but believed that others would not approve of their exercise (henceforth referred to as "positive discrepancy" subjects), and those who privately did not favor exercise, but anticipated approval for it (henceforth referred to as "negative discrepancy" subjects). The laboratory setting involved pedaling a stationary …

Relationship Between Creativity, Intelligence, And Sex Role Attitudes In College Students, Deborah D. Roman

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

During the late 50's and early 60's the topic of creativity gained popularity among the scientific community, resulting in a proliferation of research on creativity. This increase in popularity led to the development of numerous test batteries claiming to measure creativity. These included batteries by Wallach and Kogan, Guilford, and Torrance, Although these researchers differ somewhat in their definitions of creativity, all of these tests tend to measure divergent thinking (requiring the generation of unique new ideas by synthesizing and reorganizing the available information) as opposed to convergent thinking (requiring knowledge, memory, and recognition). The development of objective tests of …