Psychology Commons^™

Effect Of Changing Appointment Making Procedures On Increasing The Number Of Initial Appointments Kept At A Family Planning Agency, Carla A. Jones

Masters Theses

The procedures for making initial client appointments at a family planning clinic were manipulated to increase the number of kept appointments. Receptionists and counselors made appointments on the two appointment forms used. Questions on the appointment sheet varied depending on the age of the caller. The 1,432 women participating in the study were placed into three groups (a) 19 years of age and under (b) 20 to 30 years of age and (c) 31 years of age and over. The results showed that the occupation of the person making the appointment at the agency did not affect the number of …

An Analysis Of The Role Of Reinforcement Magnitude In The Transfer Of Stimulus Control In A Receptive Discrimination Task, Beverly S. Adler

Masters Theses

The role of reinforcement magnitude in the transfer of stimulus control was analyzed using a delayed prompting procedure. A delay was gradually lengthened between the presentations of the relevant discriminative stimulus and an imitative prompt. During one condition, the contingencies of reinforcement were arranged such that the reinforcement available for anticipatory and prompt-controlled responses were equal. During another condition, responses which preceded delivery of the prompt were given more reinforcement than prompt-controlled responses. Two subjects were exposed to these conditions in the context of acquiring a series of receptive discrimination tasks. Results were inconclusive. Mean trials to criterion showed little …

Teaching Self-Protective Behaviors To Preschool Children Using A Videotape Training Program, Paul James Yoder

Masters Theses

This study investigated the effectiveness of a videotape training program to teach self-protective skills to preschool children. Children were taught to say, "I have to ask my teacher/parent," and to run to their teacher/parent when presented with one of two lures commonly used by child molesters. The videotape incorporated the direct instructional techniques of active pupil responding; the model, lead, and test format; and use of minimally different stimuli to teach children to discriminate between correct and incorrect responses. The results showed that although none of the subjects showed any improvement in responding after only one viewing, five of the …

The Effects Of A Transfer Of Stimulus Control Procedure, Probes, And Reinforcement On The Acquisition And Generalization Of An Intraverbal Repertoire, Steven John Braam

Masters Theses

A deaf, mentally-impaired youth was trained to emit intraverbal responses within the same response class to verbal stimuli which were presented in daily probe sessions (e.g., "food" evoked "apple", "bread","hot dog", etc.). Training consisted of a transfer of stimulus control procedure. If an incorrect response was made, the therapist would re-present the verbal training stimulus and immediately present a non-verbal prompt (picture) which evoked a verbal response. Since the transfer procedure was only Implemented contingent upon incorrect responding, it resulted in longer delays to trade-in for back-up reinforcers in sessions where mistakes were made. Correct responding Increased only as training …

The Development And Validation Of Concept Programmed Materials Based On A Direct Instruction Model, Curt E. Lalonde

Masters Theses

The experiment validated a set of instructional materials designed to teach behavioral concepts. Twenty-two subjects matched on the basis of their scores on a pretest covering these concepts comprised the experimental and control groups. Following a pretest, subjects in these two groups completed both sets of materials. After exposure to the instructional materials, they took an alternate-form posttest on the same concepts. Gain scores on the posttest were significantly higher (p<.05, means = .91, -.55) for subjects who completed the experimental materials than for the subjects who completed the control materials, materials contained sequences of examples and nonexamples of the behavioral concepts which were designed to maximize learned of those concepts.

Preferences Of Students For The Hutchings "Low Stress" Compared To The Conventional Algorithm Under Conditions Of Differentially Increasing The Number Of Problems With And Without Reinforcement, Pamela G. Buitendorp Drew

Masters Theses

This study was an attempt to determine which computation procedure students would select under varying classroom conditions. It is a systematic replication of previous research by Gillespie (1976). Algorithm preferences of 14 third grade students, 10 high accuracy and four low accuracy on a math facts test, were investigated under conditions of differentially increasing the number of problems with and without reinforcement, Reversal designs were used. The students completed 4X5 array problems and chose which algorithm to use, but after choosing the same algorithm for three consecutive sessions, they were required to use the alternative algorithm the next session. Preference …

Effects Of Withdrawing Diphenylhydantoin (Dilantin) On Matching To Sample Performance In Mentally Retarded Persons, Vicky June Davis

Masters Theses

The present study was designed to examine the effects of gradual DPH withdrawal on the matching to sample performance of three mentally retarded persons. The percentage of correct responses per session served as the dependent variable and the sample and comparison stimuli were red, green, and blue illumination of translucent response windows. The results showed that doses of diphenylhydantoin considerably lower than the suggested optimim therapeutic level can impair the performance of mentally retarded individuals on a simple discrimination task. As doses were reduced for each subject, there were increases in the percentage of correct responding with the highest percentage …

A Treatment Package To Improve Academic Performance, Lynn Daniel Larrow

Masters Theses

Six high school students volunteered to participate in a research project to improve their academic grades. Of these six subjects, it was found that subjects with low grade point averages (GPA) were the main beneficiaries of a behavior treatment package consisting of contingency contracting, graphing, and a self-management lecture. In addition, this study demonstrated that a contingency contract, employing a weekly consequence, and graphing can control an academic behavior, note taking. Finally, it was shown that a cost effective treatment package could produce GPA increases comparable to more expensive and time consuming treatments. It is hoped that the findings of …

The Development And Application Of Service Management By Objectives Within One Program Of One Division Of A Michigan Intermediate School District, James Harper Kaye

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Cumulative Review In An Interspersal Procedure On The Acquisition And Retention Of Sight Words, Kathleen M. Wright

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of A Lottery On Completion Of Medical Records By Physicians, Richard William Beers

Masters Theses

Completion of hospital medical records by physicians is a frequent problem to hospital administrations. A performance based lottery was used to evaluate its effectiveness in reducing the number of medical records which were unfinished and considered delinquent. Thirty-three male physicians were included in this study. Physicians earned or lost lottery chances in weekly drawings for a dinner at a restaurant or gift certificate to a local store. Results show an immediate increase in rate of record completion which declines over the course of the eight week experimental condition. Age of records were inversely correlated to the rate of completion. The …

Self-Protective Behavior: Acquisition And Generalization Of Preschool Children's Responses To Strangers, Pamela K. Kies

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Generalization In The Acquisition Of Autoshaping A Replication Procedure, Omar Mangrum

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Operant Conditioning Of Heart Rate On Ambient Skin Conductance And Cognitive Interpretation, Steven Scott Ehlert

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Some Effects Of Timeout Using The Repeated Acquisition Design With Children, Anita Lynn Wilson

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Establishing Verbal Behavior: The Effects Of Using Establishing Operations And Imitative Prompts To Teach Mands To Two Non-Verbal Elderly Retarded Persons, Terry Steven Bradford

Masters Theses

The present study tested a procedure to establish vocal mands in a 47- year-old non-verbal male with Down's syndrome and manually signed mands in a 64-year-old severely retarded female who was physically incapable of speech. In a multiple baseline design across subjects and settings, subjects were taught to complete four behavioral sequences. An establishing operation was then introduced: an item required to complete each sequence was systematically removed once as a probe for manding. Following this, relevant establishing operations were paired with imitative prompts to train manding missing items. Following mastery of a ll mands during booster training, subjects were …

Effects Of Relative Heterogeneity Of Competence In Peer-Tutoring Dyads, Meredith Dawson Argyropoulos

Masters Theses

Students in a high school English class received simple instructions before and during participation in brief daily reciprocal tutoring sessions. Three levels of competence were established on the basis of spelling scores obtained on a group-administered standardized achievement test. Dyad members were twice unlike-paired and once like-paired in competence during the experiment, producing six competence during the experiment, producing six competency permutations. Differential assignment of instructional units after pretesting assured that scores reflected individual gains rather than individual competence relative to that of the other students. Differences in group means within and across pairing conditions were statistically insignificant, indicating that …

Job Enlargement And Job Enrichment - A Meta-Analytic Study, Kenny Benedict Cemane

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Variables Related To The Effectiveness Of Instructions: A Theoretical Analysis Of Experimental Results, Stephen Paul Enge

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Fixed-Interval And Random-Interval Escape Paradigms On Presession And Postsession Levels Of Corticosterone In The Rat, Duane Dregits

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of A Videotape Discrimination Training Program To Teach One-To-One Training Skills, Norman L. Schultz

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Effects Of Changes In Response Requirement On Lever Preference In A Discrete-Trial Choice Procedure, Charles L. Lowe

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of The Peak S H Ift Explanation O F Response Summation, Jeanne Page

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Translation Of Elementary Principles Of Behavior From English To Persian, Kambiz Alavi

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Chlorpromazine On Behavior Maintained By An Escape Contingency And Fixed-Time Delivery Of Shock, James P. Cleary

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Self-Monitoring, Emg Biofeedback, And Relaxation Tapes In The Treatment Of Tension Headaches, Daniel A. Viens

Masters Theses

Tension headache is an important medical-behavioral disorder because of its high incidence and the personal discomfort and disruption of normal activities that frequently accompany it. Several behavioral strategies have been applied in the treatment of this disorder. Two of the most prominent treatments are EMG biofeedback and Progressive muscle relaxation exercises. Research has shown both of these strategies to be effective treatments of tension headache but much debate still ensues as to which is the more effective treatment. The effects of different self-monitoring procedures have never been compared during EMG biofeedback or Progressive muscle relaxation treatments of tension headache.

In …

The Assessment Of Life Stress And Related Symptoms, Donald B. Hane

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Expressed Anxiety And Assertiveness, Douglas J. Pawlarczyk

Masters Theses

The present study examines the relation between expressed anxiety and assertiveness. This relation was examined by administering the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) - State and Trait Scales, the Fear Survey Schedule-III (FSS-III), the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule (RAS), the College Self-Expression Scale (CSES) and eight role-plays designed to elicit assertive responses to twenty-four students (15 females and 9 males) enrolled in a class in personality assessment at Eastern Illinois University.

The eight role-plays were rated by four graduate students in psychology. Four of the role-plays were designed to elicit positive assertion. For these role-plays the raters rated the occurrence or nonoccurrence …

Physical Attractiveness And Sex Roles, Randall J. Soland

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Of Reported Sexual Activity And Reported Sexual Daydreaming In Unmarried College Men And Women, Barbara Stansell Lavery

Masters Theses

Past research has suggested that cognitive imagery may serve to either enhance or diminish a subsequent overt behavior. In fact, imagery techniques are commonly used in therapy with the idea that these techniques affect behavior in a predictable way.

The present study was designed to determine whether measured frequencies of sexual daydreaming would correlate with measured frequencies of sexual activity. Gender groups were also compared to examine possible gender differences in the frequency of sexual daydreaming and sexual activity.

Thirty-eight male and 113 female students at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois were asked to respond to two self-report questionnaires. …