Psychology Commons^™

Response Rate, Latency, And Resistance To Change, Stephen Joseph Fath

Dissertations

Response rate has been criticized as an adequate measure of response strength on the basis that rate reflects the adventitious reinforcement of interresponse times. Nevin (1974, 1979) proposed relative resistance to change as an alternative measure. Nevin (1974) employed multiple-pacing schedules in which either high- or low-rate requirements were placed in tandem with either VI 1 min or VI 3 min schedules of reinforcement. The results suggested that low-rate responding may be more resistant to change when schedules are equated for reinforcement frequency. Fath and Malott (1979) replicated Nevin's experiment, but found no evidence that contingencies on response rate affect …

Staff Incentive Programs: The Effects Of Time Off And Monetary Compensation On Professional Service Delivery, Sharon L. Surratt

Dissertations

The effects of two staff incentive procedures, time off from work and additional monetary compensation in increasing the amount of time that professional counselors spent in direct service (client oriented) activities were compared. The participation of six outpatient counselors, three male and three female, enabled the assessment of the differential impact of these incentive procedures by sex of the counselor. Throughout the study, which lasted 30 weeks, daily records were kept on the amount of time counseling staff engaged in 18 predefined categories of staff behavior. Using a repeated measures design, time off from work and/or additional monetary compensation were …

The Effects Of Rules And Videotape Training On Complex Observation Skills, Gerald L. Shook

Dissertations

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of rules and videotape training on the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of complex behavioral observation skills. A multiple baseline design across two groups of subjects (N = 17) was used. An initial pretest probe measured subjects' ability to score adult and child behavior shown in a set of five, 15- to 20-second videotape episodes. Child behavior was rated as appropriate, inappropriate, or unacceptable. The subsequent adult behavior was rated as correct or incorrect, as a function of the child behavior, in five categories: vocalization, eye contact, facial expression, physical contact, and back-up consequence. Mean …

Component Analysis Of A Behavioral-Supervisory System For Masters- And Doctoral-Level Research, Michael J. Dillon

Dissertations

This project describes a structured approach to the supervision of M.A. theses and Ph.D. dissertations. The main components of this supervisory system are: weekly (a)specification of tasks and performance standards, (b)meetings with a supervisor (either faculty or doctoral student), (c)deadlines, (d)feedback, and (e)added incentives in the form of a point system to be included by the student's faculty advisor in any requested letters of recommendation. In seven experiments, the student's research performance was highest when all components of the supervisory system were present; it deteriorated as each major component was removed. Compared to more traditional supervisory approaches, this system produced …

An Analysis Of Primary Prevention In A State Mental Health System, Salvatore Cullari

Dissertations

This study analyzed ten primary prevention demonstration projects located in various counties of Michigan. While only two programs showed significant post intervention effects, the amount of data available for interpretation was insufficient to allow any general conclusions. Problems encountered in program implementation and evaluation were cited, and procedures that may reduce these difficulties were discussed. A theoretical model for primary prevention based on a systems approach was also presented.

Developing A Verbal Repertoire Using Sign Language And Skinner's Analysis Of Verbal Behavior, Mark L. Sundberg

Dissertations

A series of experiments on the use of sign language with hearing, non-vocal, mentally impaired individuals was conducted. Several researchers have shown that such persons can acquire signs; but in a recent review of the literature (Pulton & Algozzine, 1980), the authors conclude that there was no evidence that a "functional communication system" was acquired and in only one case had manual signing become a primary mode of communication. The problem may be related to the issue that most of the previous work on sign training has been based on traditional programs of language instruction. Such programs often place an …

A Discrete Trial Choice Procedure For Assessing The Periodic Equivalent Of Aperiodic Ratio Schedules, Michael Joseph Boivin

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Structured Meeting System: A Procedure For Supervising The Completion Of Nonrecurring Tasks, Barbara J. Fulton

Dissertations

Supervision of delegated tasks is often a source of organizational problems, because workers do not complete tasks as efficiently as managers expect. Analysis of the work setting suggests that behaviors of both supervisors and supervisees are governed by overlapping contingencies; different supervisor behaviors probably result in different contingencies for supervisee behavior. The analysis also reveals two categories of tasks: recurring tasks and nonrecurring tasks, with the latter type requiring frequent supervisor attention to assign new tasks and monitor previous ones. Contingencies for nonrecurring tasks were targeted for study in the present research, because of indications by managers that productivity and …

Effects Of Thioridazine (Mellaril) On Titrating Delayed Matching To Sample Performance In Mentally Retarded Adults, Timothy Theodore Wysocki

Dissertations

Four mentally retarded adults participated twice daily in assessments of their performance of a titrating delayed matching to sample discrimination. Trials began with the center of three response panels illuminated by one of three colors. Depression of the center panel terminated the light on the center panel and, following a delay, resulted in the presentation of two comparison colors on the side panels. Pressing the side panel illuminated by the same color which had been presented on the center panel yielded a reinforcer, while incorrect responses produced a brief timeout. The delay between depression of the center response panel and …

The Effects Of Sex-Role Attitudes On Womens' Self-Actualization And Life Satisfaction, Mary Ann Vigilanti

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sex-role attitudes on levels on self-actualization and satisfaction with life among a group of randomly selected women. This study also explored the relationships between occupational primacy as defined through paid employment and homemaker on overall life satisfaction, and employment commensurate with education/training and its relationship to self-actualization. This relationship between overall life satisfaction and measures of self-actualization was also investigated.

Data was collected from 264 women of which 236 responses were included for final hypotheses testing. All subjects were women 18 years and older who lived within the City …

The Repeated Acquisition Procedure As A Means Of Analyzing Rule-Governed Behavior, Margaret E. Peterson

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Teaching Health-Related Behaviors To Young Children Through Social Skills Training, Mary Louise Stevens

Dissertations

Part I consisted of training four kindergarten subjects to make eye contact, assertive comments and assertive actions in reference to social and health-related situations. Training occurred on a one-to-one basis with an adult female and results were assessed with a multiple baseline design. Skill acquisition and maintenance were assessed by measuring ratio of eye contact to speech duration, assertive content and assertive actions on training scenes. Generalization of social skills was assessed by means of: (1) similar, but untrained scenes, (2) choice tests between products with and without sugar, (3) in vivo tests in the school and home environment, (4) …

The Effects Of Hypnosis And Mastery Imagery On Task Performance, Robert J. Russell

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of combining mastery imagery with hypnosis to facilitate performance on a motor task, and to identify the variables which are responsible for such an effect. Ninety-nine students were pretested on the Pursuit Rotor Task and screened for hypnotic susceptibility. From this screening, 40 high susceptible subjects were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: (1) hypnosis and mastery imagery, (2) hypnosis, (3) mastery imagery (H), and (4) no-treatment control. Ten low susceptible subjects were directly assigned to a second mastery imagery (L) condition which served as a special comparison group. …

The Effects Of Progressive Cigarette Smoke Dilution Upon Smoking Pattern And Stress Responses In Humans, David M. Keenan

Dissertations

Nine chronic cigarette smokers were exposed to one of three schedules of cigarette smoke dilution. The rate of smoke dilution was held constant, but the time interval for achieving maximum dilution varied from one, two and four weeks.

The Relationship Between Selected Demographic Characteristics And Mental Health Board Members' Endorsement Of Community Mental Health Ideology, Kathryn S. Thiel

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Two Training Procedures On The Acquisition And Retention Of A Sight-Word Vocabulary In Remedial Readers, Marilyn Monteiro

Dissertations

A Trial and Error and an Errorless procedure were used to teach phonically-irregular words to remedial readers. Subjects were six elementary-school students enrolled in a tutorial program. The Errorless procedure consisted of the use of an echoic prime, prompting and cumulative review over words mastered while the Trial and Error procedure consisted of the use of corrections for errors. Five subjects both mastered and retained more words with the Errorless procedure. The average percent of words mastered across all subjects was greater for the Errorless procedure (73% versus 43%), as was the average percent of words mastered on the six-week …

A Discrete-Trial Procedure To Measure Preference For Variable-Interval Over Fixed-Interval Schedules Of Food Reinforcement In Pigeons, Robert I. Cobez

Dissertations

A discrete-trial choice procedure was conducted in which pigeons were sequentially exposed to four constant variable-interval schedules against each of which five different fixed-interval schedules were compared. The five fixed-interval comparison values were presented in a descending then ascending sequence for the first three variableinterval standard conditions. The fixed-interval sequence was reversed for the last variable-interval standard condition. The variableinterval standard conditions were 10, 20, 40, and 40 seconds, respectively, and the five fixed-interval comparison steps for each variable-interval standard condition ranged from a maximum of twice the variable-interval standard to continuous reinforcement in five equal steps. There were 50 …

Preference Reversal: Effects Of Ratio And Reinforcement Parameters, Kenneth Ray Stephens

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Underutilization Of Temporary Employees As A Determinant Of Turnover, Elizabeth De La Ossa

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Sensory Extinction In The Treatment Of Self-Injurious Behavior, Michael F. Dorsey

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Parametric Study Of Geometric Progressive Ratio Performance, Ali Uzunoz

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Pharmacological Effects On Aggression And Manual Responding Generated By Tail Shock In The Squirrel Monkey, Grace S. Emley

Dissertations

The response-independent, fixed-time delivery of electric tail shock in the squirrel monkey generated bites on a rubber hose immediately following shock delivery and manual responses on a lever immediately preceding shock. The procedure generated two temporally and topographically different responses in the single organism in a single experimental session. All responses were measured objectively via response manipulanda and recorded on cumulative recorders and counters. Nine pharmacological compounds were administered to the squirrel monkey after a stable baseline of bite and lever press responding had been established. Three stimulant compounds - d-amphetamine, caffeine, cocaine; three tranquilizer compounds - nicotine, chlordiazepoxide, chlorpromazine; …

The Effects Of Emg Biofeedback Assisted Relaxation Training Upon Problem-Solving Abilities Of Anxious Children, Mazhar Khan

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Modeling And Feedback In Training Tutors, Kathleen M. Krumhus

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Electromyographic Feedback Training On The Perception Of Locus Of Control And Accuracy Of Person Perception Of Externally Controlled Therapist Trainees, Vincent N. Scalese Jr.

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Role Of Reinforcement Density In The Transfer Of Stimulus Control In A Receptive Discrimination Task, Jane Stewart Howard

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Behavior Acquisition And Maintenance With Conditioned Reinforcers Developed Through Pairing, Marion M. Walton Jr.

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Behavioral Systems Analysis Of Job Performance In A Food Co-Operative, Harry M. Kent

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Cardiac Change To An Auditory Signal And Exploratory Behavior In Normal And Developmentally Delayed Infants, Sharon Bradley Johnson

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Descriptive Information On Accuracy Of Interpersonal Perception, Sung Soo Park

Dissertations

No abstract provided.