Psychology Commons^™

Myers-Briggs Personality Types In Chronic Pain Patients, Linda S. Mckee-Mcalpin

Student Work

This study uses the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to examine the possibility that there are personality types that are more likely to cope maladaptively, and experience the syndrome of chronic pain, when they are faced with an injury or pain which results in unexpected life changes.

The Chronic Pain sample in this study scored significantly higher than a Normal sample in their preference for Introversion, Sensing and Judging and were significantly more likely to be the personality types ISFJ or ISTJ.

This study also examines the relationship between MMPI depression scores and Myers-Briggs Introversion scores and the results tend to confirm …

Perceptions Of Fairness In The Frustration Effect: An Attributional Analysis, David T. Van Dyke

Student Work

Theories of both distributive (Adams, 1963) and procedural justice (Thibaut & Walker, 1975) have been demonstrated to be accurate in describing subjective evaluations of fairness in a wide variety of circumstances. However, a phenomenon known as the frustration effect (e.g. Folger, 1977) results in perceptions of fairness that are incongruent with the predictions of these two theories. This study attempts to explain the discrepant results in terms of attribution theory as it was proposed by Weiner (1985). By manipulating and measuring the attributions made by subjects, the attributional explanation was tested. The results of this experiment were not supportive of …

Ethical Dilemmas Confronting School Psychologists, Karol Basel

Student Work

This study was conducted to investigate school psychologists' perception of the utility to published ethics codes on ethical decision making. Subjects were randomly chosen for this national survey based on their membership in the National Association of School Psychologists. Subjects were presented 25 dilemmas based on specific ethical codes published by the American Psychological Association and National Association of School Psychologists. Respondents were asked whether they had encountered similar dilemmas in the past two years and how well ethical codes had prepared them to solve each dilemma. Respondents indicated that they had experienced few of the dilemmas in the recent …

The Effects Of Locus Of Control And Method Of Goal Setting On Task Motivation, Paula Coburn

Student Work

Motivation is a central issue in academics. Previous research has shown that goal setting is one method of increasing motivation, with specific goals being more motivating than nonspecific, do your best goals. Research has also shown that self-selected goals increase motivation more than externally imposed goals. The present study examined the effects of self-selected, externally imposed, and do your best goals on task motivation when the personality factor locus of control was controlled by blocking subject groups. It was shown that an interaction exists between method of goal setting and locus of control. It was also found that method of …

A Longitudinal Test Of A Proposed Vie Theoretic Control Systems Model Of Self-Regulated Human Performance, Vernon A. Peterson

Student Work

Research by Campion and Lord (1982) suggested that the goal-setting process could be explicated by a control systems model of self-regulated behavior. However, as noted by Campion and Lord (1982), the model did not specify the process performers used to select their standards. To address this deficiency and to further specify the control process, I proposed an expanded model of human performance: an integration of VIE theory (Vroom, 1964) and control systems theory (Carver & Scheier, 1981). The model posited that performers select standards of performance based on their motivational force. It also specified when cognitive or behavioral control responses …

Influence Of Feedback Specificity And Simultaneous Goals On Task Performance, David W. Furst

Student Work

A laboratory experiment was conducted examining the influence of feedback specificity and simultaneous quantity and quality goals on the performance of an assembly task including the effect of feedback specificity on perceptual and behavioral measures of intrinsic motivation. The hypotheses were framed in terms of a traditional goal setting model and a control systems-goal conflict model. Neither model was supported for the quantity performance measure in that varying the specificity of quantity of performance feedback did not result in differential quantity of performance. The traditional goal setting model was supported based on results from the quality performance measure . These …

Concurrent Validity Of The Pain Locus Of Control Scale And Its Relationship To Treatment Outcome Variables, Linda Kay Schaefer

Student Work

Studies have shown that locus of control orientation is related to emotional and behavioral adjustment to chronic pain. Researchers have begun the process of establishing the validity and reliability of the Pain Locus of Control Scale. This study was conducted to establish the concurrent validity of the PLC Scale at the time of follow-up from pain management treatment, an effort not previously undertaken. In addition, studies suggest that those persons with an Internal locus of control orientation demonstrate more favorable treatment outcomes, as compared to a Powerful others or Chance locus of control. This research examined the relationship between treatment …

Proxemic Behavior Of The Nonhandicapped Toward The Visually Impaired, Carol J. Olsen

Student Work

This study investigated spatial behavior of nonhandicapped individuals toward physically handicapped individuals. Initial seating distance was measured between a visually impaired experimenter and nonhandicapped subjects. Subjects were from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Students completed a survey and then, one at a time, went to an adjacent room to answer some follow-up questions posed by a visually impaired confederate. Distances were measured and compared to other studies measuring handicapped/ nonhandicapped interactions. Previous research showed significant differences in distance between handicapped/ nonhandicapped interactions and nonhandicapped/nonhandicapped interactions. Greater distances were chosen when interacting with a physically handicapped individual than with a …

The Predictive Value Of Mmpi Personality Style In Obesity Therapy, Jeffrey J. Harvey

Student Work

The present study assessed whether psychopathology influences obese subject’s ability to lose weight. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was used to differentiate between 46 pathological and 52 nonpathological subjects. A repeated measures analysis of variance did not support the hypothesis that the degree of weight loss is negatively associated with the amount of psychopathology measured by the MMPI. In addition, an analysis of covariance was conducted in an attempt to control for possible confounding factors at the start of treatment and also failed to support the hypothesis.

The Effects Of Feedback Referent And Content Upon Self-Determination, Rated Task Interest, And Intrinsic Motivation, Kerry L. Sheehan

Student Work

This study was an attempt to determine if verbal feedback could be used to convey information about feedback referent and feedback content to individuals in an experimental setting, and if so, if that information would influence their perceptions of perceived task competence, self-determination, task-interest, and intrinsic motivation. Eighty subjects were used from psychology classes. The majority were college freshmen or sophomores. Results showed that subjects did attend to the feedback referent, but that the referent had no subsequent influence on any of the dependent variables. Additionally, the feedback content manipulation did not produce the predicted effects upon the dependent variables. …

Construct Validity And Development Of Local Norms In The Assessment Of Adhd., Rose Ternes Hunter

Student Work

A pilot study was performed to determine the validity of on-task behavior and locally developed attention tasks# to assist in the identification of children with ADHD. Subjects were third grade students in the Hampton City Public Schools. Means and standard deviations were computed for time-on-task as well as number correct and number committed for each of five separate attention tasks. A correlation analysis was performed to compare results of attention tasks with each other as well as with the Abbreviated Conners Teacher's Scale (ACTS), a Hyperactivity Index, and IQ. Results were in the expected direction, although correlations with ACTS were …

The Moderating Effects Of Evaluation Apprehension And Group Goals On Social Loafing, Thomas Rauzi

Student Work

The social loafing effect, that subjects work harder alone than in groups, was contrasted against the use of two motivational techniques. Subjects were 80 undergraduate students at a midwestern university. A 2 x 2 factorial design was employed contrasting the use of group goals with the salience of evaluation apprehension. Subjects, working in groups of four, were asked to generate possible uses for common objects during two timed work periods. Results provided support for an Interaction Hypothesis: that group goal or evaluation apprehension conditions are sufficient to increase performance over a social loafing replication condition. However, the actual presence of …

The Effect Of Feedback On Low-Goal Task Performance, Jeffrey David Klawsky

Student Work

This experiment was conducted to study the effect of feedback on task performance under a low performance standard (goal). Fifty-two undergraduate students were presented with the task of mentally summing seven single-digit numbers to solve a problem. Subjects either received a high or low goal for the number of problems to solve in 15 minutes, and continuous feedback or no feedback about how many problems they had solved. It was predicted that feedback would result in higher performance for high goal subjects and lower performance for low goal subjects. A marginal main effect of goal difficulty (p<.067) in the predicted direction was obtained, but no goal difficulty-feedback interaction. Possible explanations for the observed results are discussed along with implications for future research.

Roberts' Apperception Test For Children: Referred And Nonreferred Student Profiles, Evelyn Harm Headen

Student Work

The present study examined a recently published projective test, the Roberts Apperception Test for Children (RATC; McArthur & Roberts, 1982). The subjects were 58 students, grades 1-8, from a midwestern suburban school district. One-half of the students had been referred to the school psychologist for an evaluation, either because of behavioral problems or a suspected learning disability, or for routine three-year reevaluations (as required by law). The second group of students were randomly drawn except for the stipulation that they not have been previously referred for a psychological evaluation. All subjects were given the RATC; in addition, the majority of …

Analysis Of Academic Achievement And Personality Traits Of Adult And Traditional College-Age Subjects, Mary Kay Bevars

Student Work

What was the relationship between personality traits and academic achievement? This study was designed to answer this question by surveying a group of 77 students enrolled in developmental reading classes in a junior college. Subjects completed a self-report personality test which measured eight personality traits and a measure of inherent aptitude. Achievement was measured by criterion referenced tests. Bivariate and multivariate correlations between measures of personality and measures of achievement were examined separately according to race, gender, and age (under 25 versus over 25 years). Results indicated that Vigor was the only personality trait which significantly correlated with achievement; however, …

Cerebral Hemispheric Mechanisms In The Retrieval Of Ambiguous Word Meanings, Roland Curt Burgess

Student Work

Targets related to ambiguous primes were projected to the left and right visual fields in a lexical priming experiment with stimulus onset asynchronies (SOA) of 35ms and 750ms. Left hemisphere results were similar to earlier results with central projection (Simpson & Burgess, JEP:HPP, 1985). Facilitation across both SOAs for the more frequent meaning and a decrease in facilitation for the less frequent meaning at the longer SOA. In contrast, right hemisphere results indicated a decay of facilitation for the more frequent meaning at the longer SOA, while activation for the subordinate meaning increased. Results suggest that while automatic processing occurs …

Getting Ready To Learn: The Correspondence Between Contingency Awareness And Level Of Piagetian Sensorimotor Development, Patricia Beilby-Smith

Student Work

My purpose in this descriptive study was to view infants' readiness to learn and their performance on a simple discrete task from the perspective of Piaget's theory of infant intelligence. Such a readiness to learn has been described by Watson (1966, 1971, 1972) as contingency awareness. This study attempted to investigate the relationship between assessed Piagetian sensorimotor level and performance on a contingency awareness task. Performance measures included efficiency rate and latency to first hit on a second test session. Infant performance was viewed within the framework of sensorimotor development. From the literature there is evidence of a relationship between …

Correlates Of Life Satisfaction In An Aged Population, Janice Sue Sitzman

Student Work

This study investigated life satisfaction correlates of elderly persons living in two residential centers. Based on the theoretical and empirical literature, it was hypothesized that all elderly subjects tested would report high levels of life satisfaction. In addition, it was hypothesized that factors such as health perception, developmental task resolution, locus of control, and satisfaction with one's social network would be related to life satisfaction.

Subjects were recruited from two residential centers for the elderly. The measures were administered to 42 subjects. There were 34 female subjects and 8 male subjects. The elderly subjects were interviewed individually at their place …

Inferences At Encoding Vs. Retrieval: Clarifying The Issues Based On A Developmental Perspective, Mark A. Casteel

Student Work

This study addressed the controversy surrounding the locus of the inferential process (encoding vs. retrieval) in story comprehension by adopting a developmental perspective. Second, fifth, and eighth grade children, and college undergraduates, read eight stories from which two types of inferences could be drawn. Bridging inferences are inferences critical to the comprehension of a story while forward inferences are not. Eight questions (four inference and four filler) were answered to each story, and the dependent variables of reaction time and error rate were measured. The hypothesis that bridging inferences would be drawn at encoding was clearly supported as was the …

Levels And Conditions Of Goal Acceptance, Kim James Kohlhepp

Student Work

The role of goal acceptance in goal setting theory was investigated through the application of Reiman's theory of social influence and multilevel models of goal acceptance. Subjects were 144 undergraduate students. A 2X2X2 factorial design was employed. The three factors were: (a) antecedents of compliance (reward versus no reward), (b) antecedents of internalization (high value relevance versus low value relevance), and (c) goal specificity (specified goals versus non-specified goals). Three measures of goal acceptance were differentially affected by the manipulations: (a) A measure of intention to complete was uniformly high and not affected by the manipulations. (b) Perceived effort toward …

The Impact Of Assigned, Conflicting Goals On Task Performance, Daniel P. Whitenak

Student Work

Previous research has strongly supported Locke's theory of goal-setting: given specific, difficult, accepted goals with proper feedback, individual performance w ill improve relative to others not given a goal. A possible exception to this theory might be the setting of goals that conflict or require widely different strategies for task completion. The present study employed a 2 x 2 factorial design (presence/absence of a quantity and a quality goal) to investigate the impact of conflicting goals on task performance. Results showed that assigned, conflicting goals do not provide an exception to the goal-setting/performance relationship since significan t main effects were …

Plasma Catecholamine And Ascorbic Acid Levels In Smokers And Nonsmokers As A Function Of Stress, Audrey A. Wickiser

Student Work

Research on the relationship between the role of stress and blood catecholamine levels began in the early 60's. Studies since that time have shown that both physical and psychological stressors can cause an increase in the circulating levels of catecholamines. Epinephrine and norepinephrine are the catecholamines most implicated as being affected by stress. The results have not been clear as to whether the two catecholamines respond differentially to physical and psychological stress. Epinephrine secretion appears to increase in response to anxiety while norepinephrine may be related to aggression.

Acceptability Of Treatment: The Effects Of Socioeconomic Status And Intellectual Level On Teachers' Ratings Of Interventions, Kathryn L. Welch

Student Work

The study examined the effects of a child's socioeconomic status and intellectual level on classroom teachers' ratings of positive and negative interventions. Ninety urban kindergarten through sixth grade classroom teachers participated in the study. The teachers varied according to age, sex, race, number of years taught, and years of experience with low socioeconomic children, as well as grade level currently teaching. A vignette was constructed varying the socioeconomic status and intellectual level of an elementary school age boy who was displaying inattention during instructional time. The inattention (token economy) paired with it. The teacher were asked to read one of …

Memory For An Event In Two- And Five-Years Olds, Evelyn Harm Haeden

Student Work

The present study focused on the development of memory in young children. The subjects were eighty-three two- and five-year old children who participated in immediate recall memory tasks for toys, pictures in a story and nonstory context, and ingredients used in making graham cracker cookies. These children were tested in their own homes. Long term memory for toys and ingredients was also assessed at one week. Parents were asked to record children's spontaneous comments in a scripted diary for the week following the experimenter's visit. At the end of the week, a photograph of the experimenter and child, which had …

Use Of Radio To Provide Models And Reinforcers In Behavior Therapy: Increasing Compliant Behavior In Retarded Children, Richard Warner

Student Work

Our age is an electronic one; electronic gadgetry has proliferated in the home, and modern media devices, especially radio and television with their continuous barrage of information and programming have been long taken for granted. Children learn much from radio and television, acquiring a variety of information from these electronic sources which is reflected in their dress, speech and musical preferences (Haney & Ullmer, 1975; Potter, 1978a Reeves & Miller, 1978). Indeed a great deal of controversy has become associated with determining what sorts of things children have been learning from media (e.g. Lefrancois, 1973). It is estimated young children …

A Relationship Between Self-Actualization And The Practice Of Zen Meditation, William Charles Compton

Student Work

A review of the Iiterature on the psychological variables which have been associated with Zen meditation revealed a close correspondence between the stated goals of Zen meditation and the personality characteristics of the self-actualized individual hypothesized by Maslow. A review of the experimental literature on the relationship between Zen meditation and self-actualization showed contradictory findings concerning the effectiveness of Zen meditation for enhancing self-actualization. However, Kirschner’s results indicated that a nine month learning period may exist for Zen meditation. It was therefore hypothesized that Zen meditation would not effect self-actualization scores until after this learning period was completed. The Personal …

The Use Of Function In Infant Concept Acquisition, Carolyn S. Held

Student Work

The use of function for concept formation in 5 and 8 month old infants was studied in an experiment employing a conceptual adaptation of the standard habituation paradigm. A total of 64 male and female infants were shown videoptaped presentations which involved changes in form and functional attributes of selected stimuli. The stimuli consisted of striped figures which could vary in form (shmoo-shaped or H-shaped) and function (side-to-side movements or up-down movements). During habituation, all infants were shown multiexemplars of a specific figure performing a single movement pattern; the figures varied only in color. During test trials, the infants were …

The Effect Of Mother-Infant Bonding On Maternal Attitude, Roxanne Hughes

Student Work

The attachment relationship that develops between parents and their infants has been the focus of extensive research. The results suggest that parent-infant attachment can be crucial to the survival and development of the infant. Research has further shown that strong feelings of affection could be easily disturbed or altered permanently if prolonged separation between parents and their newborn occurs during the immediate postpartum period (first few hours). This study investigated whether differing amounts of early postpartum contact between mothers and their normal full term infants would be reflected in maternal attitude toward the newborn infant* documented through a questionnaire administered …

Attitude-Behavior Relationships: A Comparison Of The Fishbein-Ajzen And Bentler-Speckart Models, Arlene J. Fredericks

Student Work

This study compared the Fishbein-Ajzen (1975) model of attitude-behavior relationships with Bentler-Speckart's (1979) modifications of the model. Subjects were 236 undergraduate college students and the measures of behavior were repeated self-reports of class attendance. An analysis of linear structural relationships, using multiple indicators for each underlying construct, supported the Bentler-Speckart addition to the Fishbein- Aj zen model of prior behavior as a direct causal influence on both subsequent behavior and behavioral intentions. However, consistent with the original Fishbein-Ajzen model, a direct causal path from attitude to subsequent behavioral intentions was not found. Directions for future studies and respecification of the …

Behavioral Observation Versus Behavioral Expectation Rating Scales: Development And Psychometric Properties, Calvin C. Hoffman

Student Work

Rating scales to assess the level of proficiency of human performance have come in a wide variety of formats. The objectives of the scales, types of questions asked, and procedures followed vary widely. Prior to 1960, most rating scales utilized what is known as the graphic format. According to Guion (1965) the rating scale was relied on in 81% of the validation studies using rating scales. While this has declined somewhat (Landy § Trumbo, 1976) performance ratings still play a major part in validation. This study will compare behavioral observation and behavioral expectation scales in terms of psychometric properties. Central …