Psychology Commons^™

Wisc-Iii Profile Patterns Of Learning Disabled Children, Russell Goetting

Student Work

The present study examined the performance of a heterogeneous population of learning disabled children (N=171) and children with learning disabilities in reading (LD-R), math (LD-M), and reading and math (LD-R+M) on the WISC-III ACID and SCAD subtests (Arithmetic, Coding, Information, Digit Span, and Symbol Search). Archival WISC-III scores of children that have been verified as having a learning disability in fourteen Midwestern school systems were used to answer the research questions in this study. Two different methods of examining performance on the ACID and SCAD subtests were used in this study, the index score method and the profile method. The …

Affect During Conflicts Between Adolescents And Their Best Friends, Other Friends And Acquaintances, Mary J. Spenceri

Student Work

While conflict, in general, has received much attention in the literature, "affect felt" during conflicts and its influence has not been a major concern to researchers. Only a few investigations of "affect intensity" associated with conflict have been conducted. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of affect intensity, an individual differences factor, in the affect experienced in conflict situations with friends and acquaintances by different age groups, and the resolution strategies that are used. Students from grades 5, 8, and 11 and first and second year college students completed the Affect Intensity Measure, a conflict questionnaire, …

The Use Of Prior Knowledge In Learning From Examples, Stephen B. Blessing '89

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the way people acquire procedures from examples, and provides a computational model of the results. In four experiments, people learned an analog of algebra. For each experiment, the initial know ledge that people had of the task was varied. In two experiments (Experiments 1 and 3), the syntactic know ledge that people had concerning the task w as manipulated. The knowledge of syntax that participants had, particularly the ability to correctly parse the character string, was found to be a major determiner in the way participants acquired the rules. Experiment 2 explicitly manipulated participant's awareness as to …

An Artificial Life Model Of Engineering Attrition Contemplation: Why Do Federally Employed Civilian Engineers Think Of Quitting?, John William Herweg

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The research objective is, using engineer turnover, to develop an Artificial Life (A-Life) model and simulation methodology useful for studying behavioral variables of individuals in an organization.

One consequence of work stress is burnout, and its extreme expression is quitting or turnover. Various models have been used to explain and predict this behavior. Behavior models are useful tools to explore the ability of organizational policies to reduce stress levels and turnover. Advancing the usefulness of models is a goal which assists all research on human behavior. A-Life offers a new and different methodology for this purpose. It provides an ability …

Development Of The Inventory Of Life Span Events, Julie A. Dickison

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The possible relationship between stressful life events and subsequent illness has been studied in the past few decades, resulting in several widely-used questionnaires. However, these measures tend to focus on recent events and attempt to remove subjective rating of a stressful event by the respondent. These two factors may limit these scales clinical utility. An alternative measure, the Inventory of Life Span Events (ILSE) is proposed, to quantify the life-stress burden for childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and across the entire life span. ILSE was compared to other leading measures for life events, hassles and perceived stress, and was more closely related …

The Influence Of Time Pressure And Information Load On Rule-Based Decision-Making Performance, Brooke Browne Schaab

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Performance was evaluated under varying levels of time pressure and information load to determine their influence on simple rule-based decision-making. Consistent errors, biases, and heuristics found in human decision-making have been attributed to attempts to reduce attentional demands and to the limitations of working memory. Do these same mistakes occur when little or no demand is placed on working memory and the decision is made by following a set of simple rules? Using a simulation of a radar operator's task, 96 participants monitored a display for 24 min. Time pressure was manipulated by increasing or decreasing the number of aircraft …

Neuropsychological Assessment Of Battered Women, Mona Matheney Tiernan

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effect of physical battering on the neuropsychological functioning of women. Twenty-five battered women and twenty-five non-battered women were administered a neuropsychological screening battery (11 separate tests, yielding 16 variables) to assess for possible deficits in the areas of attention/concentration, memory, visual-perceptual skills, sensory-motor skills, novel problem solving, and verbal fluency. All participants completed a demographic questionnaire, a post-concussive syndrome checklist, and a questionnaire evaluating for the presence of depressed mood and possible effects of depression. Potential participants with a history of previous head injury (occurring from a source other than battering) or other neurological disorders were …

Cross-Cultural Differences And Intercultural Cooperation In The Context Of Change And Uncertainty: Americans And Finns In The Workplace, Maija Llisa Herweg

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

American and Finnish workers in financial institutions in the United States and in Finland were interviewed in their respective languages to explore cross-cultural differences in response to change and uncertainty in the work place. Changes were explored in the domains of organizational, process, procedure and work content, and technological changes in the work place. As a point of departure for this study, Hofstede's IBM study, as it pertains to Uncertainty Avoidance--a measure he used to evaluate culture-based resistance to change--was used for this study.

Differences in the kinds of change considered difficult to adjust to were found in the cross-cultural …

A Spanish Translation Of The Spiritual Well-Being Scale: Preliminary Validation, Kay Colleen Bruce

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Recent attention has focused on the need for effective mental health services to minority populations in the United States. The Hispanic community is the second largest minority in the U.S. and continues to grow rapidly. Mental health services may be facilitated by translation and validation of assessment instruments which are psychometrically sound and easy to administer.

Measures of subjective well-being were developed in the United States in the 1970s. An interest in spiritual well-being, as related to one's general sense of health and well-being, led to development of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) by Paloutzian & Ellison (1982). Since that …

A Spanish Translation Of The Spiritual Well-Being Scale: Preliminary Validation, Kay Colleen Bruce

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Recent attention has focused on the need for effective mental health services to minority populations in the United States. The Hispanic community is the second largest minority in the U.S. and continues to grow rapidly. Mental health services may be facilitated by translation and validation of assessment instruments which are psychometrically sound and easy to administer. Measures of subjective well-being were developed in the United States in the 1970s. An interest in spiritual well-being, as related to one's general sense of health and well-being, led to development of the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) by Paloutzian & Ellison (1982). Since that …

Living In Two Worlds: Asian-American Women And Emotion, Kimberly S. Gangwish

Student Work

Asian-American women have faced certain difficulties in growing up due to the distinct differences in Asian and American cultures. The two cultures have philosophical differences as well as differences in acceptable manners of behaving and communicating. The expression of emotion is one of these areas. This research study looks at the differences in the two cultures concerning the expression of emotions and how this affects the women who are trying to live within both worlds. Ten first-generation Asian-American women were interviewed, using an oral history method, concerning three different situations. One situation involving just their parents, another involving their friends, …

Pediatric Intensive Care Nurses : Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-Like Symptoms, Juanita J. Allen

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Medical personnel are not only exposed to routine pressures of demanding roles, but research reveals that they can suffer from severe stress related to exposure to critical incidents. These events can overwhelm an individual's ability for emotional adjustment leading to negative symptoms such as emotional numbing, mood changes, estrangement from friends or family, decreased ability to perform or function on the job, development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, loss of work through attrition, and depression. Contact with seriously injured children or children who have died has been shown to constitute just such a critical incident for pre-hospital care personnel …

Differential Outcomes In A Cocaine Versus Saline Discrimination, Thomas B. Morgan

Masters Theses

The effects of differential outcomes on the speed of acquisition of a cocaine vs. saline discrimination were examined. Two groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate 8.0 mg/kg cocaine from saline. The experimental group was exposed to differential outcomes, where correct responses following the different injections (discriminative stimuli) were correlated with a particular outcome (either sweetened condensed milk or tap water). The control group received either sweetened condensed milk or tap water at random following cocaine and saline injections. Acquisition of schedule control and three progressively difficult testing criteria were examined. The differential outcomes group came under schedule …

Cognitions, Emotions And Immune Response : An Attributional Model For The Mind-Body Connection, Byron Earle Greenberg

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

[Abstract Not Included]

Assessment Of The Stimulus Properties Of Mda And Mdma Stereoisomers In A Lsd-Saline-Amphetamine Discrimination, Michele Marie Taylor

Masters Theses

This study employed a three-choice drug discrimination procedure in order to further delineate the discriminative stimulus properties of the stereoisomers of 3,4- methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate amphetamine (1.0 mg/kg) and LSD (.08 mg/kg) from saline in a three-lever, food reinforced (sweetened condensed milk) drug discrimination procedure. A fixed-ratio (FR) 20 schedule with a reset condition for incorrect responses was employed. When criteria (85% over 10 consecutive sessions) were met, (+)-MDA, (-)-MDA, (+)-MDMA (.31, .63, 1.25 mg/kg) and (-)-MDMA (.88, 1.75, 3.5 mg/kg) were tested for substitution. All of these compounds produced …

An Analysis Of The Auditory-Verbal And Visual-Figural Learning And Memory Patterns Of College Students With Learning Disabilities, Robert K. Eckert

Dissertations

The validity of the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) has been established with most clinical neuropsychological populations; however, no published work in the area of CVLT performance in adults with learning disabilities (LD) exists, despite the authors' assertion that the test is a useful psychometric measure for this population (Delis, Kramer, Kaplan, & Ober, 1987). Likewise, the validity of a recently restandardized test of visual-figural learning, the Rey Visual Design Learning Test (RVDLT; Spreen & Strauss, 1991), has yet to be investigated in LD populations. Motor deficiencies have been associated with LD in children, but little evidence exists to extend …

The Relationships Among Expectancy, Hypnotizability, And Treatment Outcome Associated With Eye Movement Desensitization In The Treatment Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Lisa Kimberly Largo-Marsh

Dissertations

A pre-test, post-test comparison group design was utilized to assess the effectiveness of two interventions on symptoms associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) or structured writing sessions. A standardized diagnostic interview was used to screen subjects and provide diagnosis and symptom profile at intake and one-month follow-up. Standardized self-report measures were used to assess treatment outcomes. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed no significant differences between the two treatments. Both treatments were effective in significantly reducing post-traumatic symptoms at post-test and follow-up, although slightly different patterns were evident. …

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder In Adolescents And Risk For Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection, Margo A. Adams

Masters Theses

The adolescent population has been identified as the age group most quickly increasing in HIV transmission. Specific subpopulations of adolescents may be more at risk than others due to their unique situations. Characteristics commonly discussed in the literature describing individuals with attention deficits and hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) are similar to those that put individuals at risk for HIV infection (i.e., impulsivity, overactivity, drug use). This anonymous survey study investigated several hypotheses suggesting that ADHD adolescents may be more at risk than controls for HIV infection. Undergraduates at a midwestern university completed the sexual behavior survey. Eight male subjects reported a …

An Assessment Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder And Psychology And Physical Health Comorbidity Among Law Enforcement Officers, Terri L. Belville

Masters Theses

A qualitative survey was employed to gather descriptive information on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and collateral psychological and physical health conditions among law enforcement officers. Three diagnostic assessment instruments for PTSD were utilized including a self-report traumatic stress questionnaire to screen for PTSD, as well as provide information on the range of personal and on-the-job traumatic events experienced by officers. At a structured clinical follow-up interview the C-DIS-R and MCMI-III were used to verify a diagnosis of PTSD and establish psychological comorbidity on Axis I and Il, respectively. A self-report physical health questionnaire was also used to assess for physical …

Comparison Of Selection-Based Vs. Topography-Based Verbal Behavior, William F. Potter

Dissertations

Michael (1985) distinguished between selection-based and topography-based verbal behavior. Some researchers have started to examine this distinction, as does this research. This study examined the contribution that response-produced kinesthetic stimulation has on the acquisition of conditional discriminations and equivalence relations by college students. To accomplish this, a special computerized nonidentity matching-to-sample task (a selection-based task) was created, which arranged for each participant to perform under two conditions. The first condition arranged for participants to make a stereotypical response to each choice stimulus selected. The second condition arranged for a unique response to be made to each choice selected. The number …

Evaluating The Effects Of A Peer Training System On The Subsequent Performance Of New Employees, Dariush Khaleghi

Dissertations and Theses

Peer training is one of the most recent training methods identified. Some anecdotal studies claim that peer training is successful, however, there is no empirical data to support such claims.

The purpose of this study was to conduct an empirical evaluation of a Peer Training System (PTS) in a manufacturing environment. Effects of the PTS on reaction, behavior, and results criteria described by Kirpatrick (1959) were explored. The PTS group was compared to a control group that did not receive any systematic training. It was hypothesized that the PTS trainees would obtain higher ratings on four dimensions of performance (operation, …

Effect Of Degree Of Cue Separation And Stimulus Encoding Method On Cue Sample Size And Learning Rate, Robert Jason Weiss

Student Work

Response mode research shows that participants under a judgment response mode demonstrate more compensatory processing than participants under a choice mode. Research on affect and choice reveals that positive-affect participants display more noncompensatory examination of information than negative-affect participants. In the present study, participants viewed a film clip to induce positive or negative affect and made judgments or choices for a series of candidates for a university professor's position. Results indicate a powerful effect for response mode across all dependent variables whereby judgment participants took more time, looked at more information, and showed less search variability than choice participants. The …

The Effect Of Response Mode And Affective State On Multiattribute Decision-Making, Robert Jason Weiss

Student Work

Response mode research shows that participants under a judgment response mode demonstrate more compensatory processing than participants under a choice mode. Research on affect and choice reveals that positive-affect participants display more noncompensatory examination of information than negative-affect participants. In the present study, participants viewed a film clip to induce positive or negative affect and made judgments or choices for a series of candidates for a university professor's position. Results indicate a powerful effect for response mode across all dependent variables whereby judgment participants took more time, looked at more information, and showed less search variability than choice participants. The …

Aromatherapy And The Frequency Of Use Among College Students, Cicely Evans

Electronic Dissertations and Theses

The goal of the present research was to determine the status of aromatherapy and the frequency of use among college students. A total of seventy-six Southern University students from general psychology classes served as volunteers in the pilot study. The study required the use of a ten-question survey that asked for information pertaining to aromatherapy. It was found that college students use products containing soothing fragrances but are not familiar with the effects.

For Appearance's Sake : Gender Attitudes And Risky Health Behavior, Jennifer L. Douglas

Master's Theses

One hundred and forty male and female students were given questionnaires which assessed their gender attitudes, their tanning and smoking behavior, their knowledge about and perceived personal risk of lung and skin cancer, and their beliefs that tanning and slenderness are attractive. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed significant gender differences in tanning and in gender attitudes; women tanned more than men ... and women had more egalitarian attitudes toward gender than did men ... However, there were no differences between men and women in amount of weight-control smoking. A standard multiple regression revealed that the belief that tanning …

Impression Management And Cross-Cultural Adaptation Measures, Amy J. Montagliani

Master's Theses

The presence of the new world economy has forced individuals and groups representing various organizations historically foreign to each other in terms of language, norms, and culture to actively interact and communicate with each other in order to conduct business. These interactions are often not as successful as either side had originally hoped for a variety of reasons that typically reflect an ignorance of cultural standards, the most notable being the rules governing routine communication. Often, as in the case of expatriate business managers, a successful exchange is thwarted due to a certain degree of miscommunication, misperception, and misevaluation on …

Morphine Disruption Of Maternal Behavior And Modifications Of Underlying Neural Activity, Graciela Stafisso-Sandoz

Master's Theses

Morphine significantly impairs maternal behavior; N aloxone, an opiate antagonist, restores it. Maternal behavior is associated with c-fos expression, an immediate early gene product, in medial preoptic area (mPOA) of females. In this series of experiments, the effects of morphine and Naloxone on the expression of c-fos were examined. On postpartum day 5 or 6, females were injected with morphine or saline ( Exp. 1 ), or morphine+Naloxone or morphine+saline (Exp. 2) and placed back in the homepage, separated from their pups by a wire-mesh partition. Sixty minutes later processing for cfos immunohistochemistry commenced. The c-fos positive cells in a …

The Influence Of Adoption On Self-Related Social-Emotional Characteristics Of Adopted Children And Adolescents, H. Norman Ames

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Many families in our society have been created through adoption. In 1990, there were approximately 119,000 adoption placements in the United States (Flango & Flango, 1990). Over the past decade, the majority of adoptions were infants placed with White couples who ranged in age from 25 to 34 (Bachrach, Adams, Sambrano, & London, 1990).

An Interdisciplinary Theoretical Framework For The Mailed Questionnaire Process And The Development Of A Theory On Immediacy And Salience As Significant Variables Of Response Rates, Maribeth Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The mailed questionnaire research process developed historically as part of the survey research movement, with guidelines and models drawn from an array of scientific research methods and disciplines. Although the mailed questionnaire has become one of the most popular research instruments for obtaining data beyond the reach of the observer, the response bias generated from the generally low return rate of the mailed questionnaire survey has remained a problem. For over three decades researchers have generated a plethora of research on the effectiveness of the various aspects of the mailed questionnaire process and the resultant impact of various constructs on …

Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa: The Patients' Perspective, Benita J. Quackenbush

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eating-disorder clients show low motivation, poor follow-through, and inordinate premature dropout rates in treatment. To date, little research has been conducted that might provide clinicians with an understanding of the critical factors that may aid clients' recovery. Such factors may be used by clinicians to better motivate clients to collaborate in treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify some of the critical factors that women with eating disorders believed were crucial in prompting or facilitating their recovery. Identification of these factors was accomplished through a systematic content analysis of semistructured interviews with recovered or recovering bulimics and anorexics. …