Psychology Commons^™

The Effects Of An Innovative Curriculum On The Attitudes Of "Educationally Disadvantaged" Freshman College Students, Julius William Wilkerson

Dissertations and Theses

Educational research literature suggests the expectations for success in college for youth from "educationally disadvantaged" backgrounds are tragically small. Reasons offered for this have included the lack of requisite academic preparation, lack of motivation, lack of appreciation for the value of a college education. The general purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an innovative instructional technique in promoting the development of positive attitudes about self-worth, and academic achievement, for "disadvantaged" students. Specifically, this study attempted to identify the structure of attitudes of "educationally disadvantaged" students in the Portland State University support service program (Operation PLUS) about …

A Conditioning Model For The Mccollough Effect, Andreas D. Lord

Dissertations and Theses

A model based on the laws of classical conditioning is posed as an explanation for the McCollough Effect, an orientation-specific color aftereffect. This model stands as an alternative to the color-coded edge detector hypothesis. Background and relevant issues are presented. Two experiments were performed. The first demonstrated that an auditory stimulus causes the effect to appear stronger to some subjects, a disinhibiting effect. It was also shown that some subjects experience spontaneous recovery of the effect after it has been extinguished.

The second experiment demonstrated that the after-colors will generalize to lines of varying orientation, including 45°. Subjects adapted to …

The Development Of Attitudes Toward Work Through "Career Education", Lonnie Fred Mcdonough Wheeler

Dissertations and Theses

Attitude measurement problems are discussed within the context of a contemporary movement in the field of education. A restricted definition of the alienation construct is suggested as a theoretical framework within which research in this area could be conducted. Construction and validation data on an instrument designed to measure attitudes toward work are reported. Pre and posttest scores (using the above measure as well as the Rotter I-E Scale) of two high school Career Education programs were compared. Neither program produced significant mean attitude change in terms of these measures. However, change detected by increase in the variance on the …

Development Of An Observation Instrument To Assess Behavior, Scott Marshall Nay

Dissertations and Theses

The Vernon-Nay Category Instrument was developed as the result of an experimental project in an inner-city school. The effects of the reorganization of the administration of the school and the total staff participation in a workshop about human relations and communications were evaluated by the change of behavior of fifth- and sixth grade students in the classroom. The Flanders’ Interaction Analysis (assesses teacher-student verbal behavior) would measure change that occurred: however, the Vernon teachers wanted an assessment instrument that could, also, be used in the future, without professional assistance. The F.I.A. observation system was too complex for the staff's, unassisted, …

Moving Toward Integration: A Study Of Theory And Practice In Feminist Therapy, Susan Amelia Thomas

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis describes a study designed to explore the emerging field of feminist therapy. The goal was not to test the validity of feminist therapy, to probe the assumptions on which it is based, or to compare it to other forms of therapy but to characterize the theory and practice of feminist therapy as it now exists. Feminist therapy was seen as growing out of the cultural and historical context of the feminist movement, which includes a critique of society with emphasis on the particular psychological consequences for women, and a critique of psychotherapy, particularly Freudian psychotherapy, as oppressive to …

Exteroceptive Influence On A Marihuana Induced Conditioned Taste Aversion, Albert William Greenwood

Dissertations and Theses

Forty-five male, Sprague Dawley rats were used to determine if external stimuli could influence the length of a conditioned taste aversion. Animals were given a novel taste (sucrose), and then injected with one of three different substances, marihuana, LiCI, or saline. The animals were then placed into either a stimulation condition, a non-stimulation condition, or returned to the home cage. The stimulation condition contained aversive stimuli in the form of bright, flashing lights and loud noises. The other conditions had no aversive stimulation. It was expected that the animals receiving injections of marihuana would have an increase in their responsiveness …

Alternative Methods For The Analysis Of Curves, Randi Christine Martin

Dissertations and Theses

The interpretation of data from psychological experiments often involves the analysis and comparison of curves, like the electrocardiogram, spectral sensitivity, or dose-response curves. Existing statistical techniques are often inadequate for making this type of analysis. This thesis presents alternative methods for handling the data comprising curves and discusses the advantages of these techniques against those of existing methods.

Four types of analysis are discussed:

1. finding a confidence band around one curve,
2. finding a confidence band around the difference between two curves, or making an overall comparison between two curves,
3. decomposing a curve into its components,
4. making a component by component …

Social Workers In The Community Mental Health Field A Delphi Forecast Of Training Priorities, William Boyce Thomas, Mark L. Clay

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis describes an exploratory research project initiated to facilitate curriculum planning for and evaluation of a social work training program in the field of community mental health. The literature concerning community mental health, the historical relationship of social work to this field, and current issues in social work manpower and education was reviewed as part of the thesis project. On the basis of the review, a study was undertaken to determine appropriate priorities for training Master ' s level social worker’s specializing in this field of practice. The researcher's decided that these priorities would be determined in terms of …

Effect Of Stressful And "Neutral" Moving Images And Still Images On Dreaming, Elizabeth Anne Anderson

Dissertations and Theses

A controlled presleep experience was used in an attempt to trace waking experience in dreams. Dream reports were collected in the laboratory from 12 dreamers (half men, half women; half recallers, half nonrecallers), using the electrophysiological method of Dement and Kleitman. Following a baseline night, each dreamer was awakened on three consecutive nights during every REM period (rapid eye movement and Stage 1-ascending EEG pattern). Immediately prior to sleep on Night 3, four of the dreamers viewed an emotionally arousing film, four others viewed a slide sequence having the same content as the stressful film, and four others viewed an …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of Individual Counseling And Group Process Techniques Upon The Behavior Of Children In A Juvenile Detention Facility, Robert Arthur Struble

Dissertations and Theses

A three month project was designed to study the effects of individual counseling combined with group process techniques upon the behavior of children in a short term detentional facility. The length of stay was also a primary variable. In the study of this behavior.

The behavior of 282 males, 14 to 17 years of age, whom had been to the juvenile detention facility in Portland, Oregon, was analyzed via three separate instruments. The Behavior Activity Inventory was utilized to obtain daily observations concerning four separate areas of interest. An attitudinal rating scale was devised to obtain the staff’s assessment as …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Self-Concept, Public Image, And Consensus Rorschach Performance, Dale Sherman Walhood

Dissertations and Theses

Four measures of dominance were taken on college roommate pairs. Three of the measures were derived from Leary’s interpersonal system for diagnosing personality. The fourth measure was derived from the consensus approach to Rorschach administration. Dominance scores for self-concept, public image, predicated image (a new measure in which a person attempts to predict how a significant other sees him) and consensus Rorschach performance were computed. Predicted image correlated higher with self-concept than public image as predicted. Results suggest that dominance as measured by the Rorschach is related to both public image and self-concept. Submissive members appear to understand the structure …

Structure Vs. Meaning In Subliminal Perception, Margaret Anne Callan Hoisington

Dissertations and Theses

Subliminal perception is defined as a process whereby a subject reports no awareness of a visual stimulus, and yet his/her verbal behavior, subjectively experienced as “guesses”, is influenced by the stimulation. Various studies have found evidence for and against subliminal perception using discrimination tasks and subjective judgments. Explanations of subliminal perception include the partial cue hypothesis, the theory of perception of structural differences, and the theory that responses to subliminal stimuli are of a semantic nature.

This study was conducted to determine whether subliminal perception involves a discrimination of structural characteristics or a discrimination of the semantic quality of words …

A Functional Analysis Of The Effects Of A Token Economy Program On Attending Behavior In Children And Subsequent Test Performance, Kay Delores Lillig Cotter

Dissertations and Theses

The present experiment was designed to determine if the implementation of a token economy program to decrease disruptive behavior in a classroom would result in improved academic performance in children. The hypothesis proposed was that there is a relationship between quiet classroom behavior and academic performance. Both the children who were disruptive and those who attended to the disruptions had lost time during which they should have been attending to appropriate subject matter. If this Inappropriate attending time were reduced, the children should have more time to attend to class work resulting in improved academic performance.

Obesity : Two Behavioral Approaches To Weight Reduction, Albert Blake Davidson

Dissertations and Theses

Much of the research on obesity has been designed to explore its relationship to the behavior of overeating. Although a number of physiological, societal, cultural and family background variables have been detailed, researchers have sought an approach that does not rely heavily on these considerations. Most weight reduction programs fail to recognize and concentrate on empirically demonstrated differences between obese and normal subjects. Researchers have shown that obese subjects seem to be more sensitive to external than internal stimuli. A behavioral approach to weight reduction that emphasizes and uses these external stimuli was hypothesized to be the treatment of choice. …

Pretesting A Questionnaire At The Solo Center On The Impact Of Divorce On Children And Parents, Shirley Anne Paetzhold

Dissertations and Theses

This study was concerned with the impact of divorce on parents and children. The writer spent a minimum of sixteen hours per week from September, 1974 to May, 1975 in field work at the Solo Center, as part of the requirements for a Master’s Degree in Social Work at Portland State University. Multiple areas of interest for research at the Center narrowed to a focus on the closely interwoven problems of child custody, child support, and visitation.

A Study Of The Relationship Between Overt Behavior And: I) Tat Fantasy Aggression And The Stimulus Properties Of Selected Tat Cards, Ii) Self-Report Measures Of Aggression And Guilt, Iii) Tat Fantasy Aggression, Self-Report Measures And Personal Data, Christine Ruth Bauman, David James Leitner

Dissertations and Theses

Past research has shown that there are many factors that influence projective test responses. This is especially true of the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). Certain variables that have been found to influence the TAT response were studied in this experiment. These variables included the subjects’ scores on purported measures of the personality trait of aggression, and various parameters of the TAT cards themselves.

This experiment included three studies which investigated the relationship between test measures of aggression and aggressive behavior. The three studies were conducted concurrently using the same subject population: forty-two male inmates at the Oregon State Penitentiary. They …

An Exploration Of The Feelings And Attitudes Of Women Separated From Their Children Due To Incarceration, Dorothy Lundberg, Ann Sheekley, Therese Voelker

Dissertations and Theses

Although significant research has shed light on what happens to children when they are removed from their parents, few studies have explored the effects on parents undergoing separation from their children. Discussions tend to be confined to separate dimensions exploring child's needs on one side and parental obligations on the other. Much of the planning and prolonged care provided for children in placement reflects a traditional child-centered focus. This has led to a lack of attention to parental needs, and a gross ignorance about their lives, feelings and aspirations.

When women are involuntarily separated from their children through incarceration, a …

A Study Of Runaways From Six Residential Treatment Agencies, Loris Colbath, Carolyn Krugel Graf, Carol Mckinnon, Jean Newcomb

Dissertations and Theses

The purposes of this study were: (1) to examine a select sample of both runaways and nonrunaways at six Oregon residential treatment facilities; (2) to determine the amount and type of preplacement visitation and counseling done within these agencies; (3) to determine the effect preplacement visitation and counseling has upon the studied sample of runaways and nonrunaways in decreasing or controlling the number of runs from the agencies involved; and (4) to determine significant characteristics between runaway and nonrunaway populations.

Testing materials included a two-part questionnaire, part of which was developed with girls from one of the participating agencies.

Running, …

Self And Ideal-Self Concepts In A Prison Population: (1) Self And Ideal-Self Patterns Of Violent And Non-Violent Offenders, (2) Self And Ideal-Self Concepts In Relation To Time Served Within A Prison, Alison Prince Berman, James W. Kushmuk

Dissertations and Theses

Two interrelated studies explored the self and ideal-self patterns, two important components of the total personality, of a male prison population using the Interpersonal Adjective Checklist (ICL). Both studies used the same prison subjects (n=38), who were divided equally between violent and non-violent offenders. Study I also used a normative sample (n=38) of male students. All subjects filled out two ICL forms, one with self and one with ideal-self instructions. Study I investigated the ICL patterns of the prisoners in terms of type of crime (violent vs. non-violent) and also compared the ICL scores of the prisoners (violent and non-violent) …

A Preliminary Evaluation Of The Independent Living Subsidy Program In The Model Cities Area, W. Patrick Frawley, Mary Goodwin Gossart

Dissertations and Theses

This is a descriptive and analytical study of the twelve adolescents who have participated in the Independent Living Subsidy Program (ILSP) in the Model Cities area of Portland. It is an assessment of the program’s impact on the adolescents in working toward the goals of independence and self-sufficiency.

The concept of a program which would subsidize out-of-home care for certain adolescents in living facilities of their own, with a measure of independence, was conceived by a caseworker at the Children’s Services Division (CSD) and an administrator of a children’s residential care facility.

Recent Role Changes Made By Women And The Effect These Changes Have Had On Marital Adjustment, Nancy L. Scolar

Dissertations and Theses

Sex Roles, A History. From Insects to humans, gender is associated with specific behavior. Below the mammals there are sex differences in dominance that are correlated with androgen function on the inside, and with certain types of stimulation on the outside. In higher forms, the increasing complexity of brain development means increasing capacity for modification through experience and learned modes of adaptation to the environment.

By the time the primate level is reached, social influences have become so intricate and compelling as to clearly foreshadow culture.

According to Elizabeth Janeway in her article Reflections on the History of Women, in …

Shaping Of Marital Interaction: A Clinical-Research Approach, Cynthia Luders Clay

Dissertations and Theses

In the last ten years, a number of behavioral approaches to marital therapy have been developed and applied to married couples. Intervention techniques have included selective reinforcement, extinction, modeling, aversive consequences, and contingency contracting. The present study investigated the use of the bug-in-the-ear (BITE) instrument as an aid in shaping marital interaction. The BITE has been applied in several child behavior modification programs, but no applications in marital therapy have been reported.

The use of the BITE has been demonstrated and is considered clinically feasible. Since the N of this study was small and since the raters evaluating progress were …