Psychology Commons^™

Peer Versus Adult Models: Infants Immediate And Deferred Imitation Of Familiar And Novel Events, Robina Enayat Gul

Student Work

The present study examined the effects of different aged models (adult vs. peer) on infants' memory and imitative behaviors. Thirty infants between the age of 14- to 18-months were included in the study. Fifteen of the infants watched an adult model demonstrate two familiar three-step event sequences and two novel three-step event sequences on simple objects. The other fifteen infants observed a peer model perform the same event sequences on the same objects. Three questions were addressed: (a) Do infants learn to imitate three-step event sequences better from an adult or a peer model? (b) Do infants better recall familiar …

Relationship History And Friendship Development In Adolescence, Jay L. Ringle

Student Work

Adolescents in grades 8, 10, 12, and college (13-22 year olds) completed the Relationship Closeness Inventory (RCI) (Berscheid, Snyder, & Omoto, 1989), a written relationship development narrative, and a graph of major relationship events for a designated friend in a same-sex and cross-sex relationship. Data collection was done in separate sessions for each relationship type, with order of com pletion randomly assigned.

Age and relationship differences were found for total score on the Relationship Closeness Inventory (RCI), indicating that closeness in same-sex relationships increases gradually with age, whereas closeness in cross-sex relationships does not increase until later adolescence. When asked …

The Relationship Between Childhood Aggression And Impulsiveness, Mary Gail Glover

Student Dissertations & Theses

Previous research on the relationship between children's levels of aggression and impulsivity have been inconclusive. Studies of each of these behaviors independently have shown that they are correlated with many of the same factors. However, no studies have been found in which aggression and impulsivity have correlated specifically with each other. The purpose of the present study was to determine if a relationship exists between aggression and impulsivity in children. The participants of this study consisted of 115 children who had been tested at a center for behavioral analysis to determine diagnoses of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. They had been referred for …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Perception Levels Of Prime Beef Training And Readiness Task Confidence, D. Wade Lawrence

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined the readiness training perception levels and task self-confidence of CE Prime BEEF personnel, and investigated the relationships between these two constructs. A heuristic model was developed which hypothesized that since previous research has shown that perception of training affects self-efficacy, and that self-efficacy affects performance, it may be inferred that training perception ultimately affects task performance. Surveys were sent to the target population to gather demographic data, perceptions of Prime BEEF readiness training and task confidence in both self and unit. Despite an improvement in perceptions over the past 12 years, results showed somewhat mediocre perception levels …

Differences In Perceptual And Subjective Body Image Between Weight Cycling And Noncycling Graduate Students, Karen Casebeer

Dissertations

This research began as an exploratory investigation into body image differences between individuals who were weight cyclers and those who were noncyclers. Participants were fem ale and m ale graduate students (n= 444) who completed the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (Cash, 1990a), the Contour Drawing Rating Scale (M.A. Thompson & Gray, 1995), and the Weight History Questionnaire (W H Q ), a researcher developed self-report survey of weight, dieting, and demographic information. Data gathered from the WHQ were used to identify pairs of individuals who were matched on cycling status, gender, age, and body mass index. Fifteen such pairs were …

An Assessment Of Generalization Across Settings Of A Parenting Strategies Program For Adhd Children, Barbara M. Todd-Nelson

Dissertations

When collapsed across gender and subject pools, Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects three to five percent of school-aged children (DSMIV, 1994). Intervening upon environmental contingencies for ADHD-diagnosed children is one of the least intrusive forms of treatment and is often very effective (Atkeson & Forehand, 1978; Forehand & King, 1977; Barkley, 1986; Webster-Stratton, 1993). As noted by many researchers (Allen, Tamowski, Simonian, Elliott & Drabman, 1991; Drabman, Hammer, & Rosenbaum,1979; Stokes & Osnes, 1989), it is necessary to assess generalization of treatment effects across the behavior therapy literature. Few have examined generalization from the home setting to the classroom. Since …

Programmed Instruction: Within-Subject Analysis Of Four Types Of Instructional Material, Matthew L. Miller

Dissertations

Skinner (1958) expressed the need for an increase in the effectiveness and efficiency of education. In particular, he suggested that programmed instruction could provide such efficiency. The present study used a within-subject design to compare the effects of four types of instructional materials: those requiring overt construction responses, overt discrimination responses, covert reading of text with highlighted key words, and covert reading of standard text. The material requiring overt responding produced greater learning than did the covert reading materials, with or without highlighting. There was no difference found between the two types of overt responding; nor were there differences between …

Affective Orientation, Alexithymia, And Multidimensional Empathy In Counselors-In-Training, Terrilyn J. Krueger

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictive relationship between two affective measures, affective orientation and alexithymia, and five empathy measures in 67 master’s degree level counselor trainees. It was hypothesized that affective orientation would be predictive and alexithymia inversely predictive of five distinct dimensions of empathy: communicated, observed, emotional, cognitive, and relational. Communicated empathy was measured by trainees’ audio-taped responses to a client stimulus which were assessed by “blind” raters. Observed empathy was measured by practicum supervisors based on their observations of trainees with clients. Emotional, cognitive, and relational empathy were assessed by trainees’ self-reported responses about …

The Relationship Between Health Locus Of Control And Health Behaviors Of Women Who Have Undergone Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, Heather Ferrillo

Nursing Master’s Theses and Projects

Due to the increasing number of women who are diagnosed with heart disease and who are undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, it is important to explore the psychosocial aspects involved in the recovery process of these women. This study examined the relationship between locus of control and health behaviors of women who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting.

Differential Effects Of Individual And Group Pay Contingencies On Individual Performance, Judith A. Honeywell-Johnson

Dissertations

Individual productivity of high performers was compared under an individual monetary incentive system and a 10-member group monetary incentive system. Subjects were 4 college students, each assigned to a simulated 10-person group. Subjects individually performed four computerized work tasks (SYNWORK) simultaneously, and the total number of points earned on the tasks was the main dependent variable. A within-subject reversal design was used, with hourly pay (A), individual (B) and group (C) monetary incentives implemented in an ABCB pattern. Subjects, when working under the group incentive pay condition, were told that the number of points they earned during each session would …

Making Sense Of Direction: Proximity And Order In Asymmetric Paired Comparison Data, Jonathan M. Borkum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In a square asymmetric matrix, the relationships among objects in the lower triangular half-matrix, differ from the relationships among the same objects in the upper triangular half. Square, asymmetric matrices can arise in similarity and preference data, when the direction of comparison is important. An asymmetric matrix can be rendered symmetric by averaging corresponding entries above and below the main diagonal. The difference between the original and the symmetric matrix is purely asymmetric, or skew-symmetric. The symmetric and skew-symmetric pans are orthogonal. An eigenvector-eigenvalue decomposition analyses the asymmetries into rank 2 skew-symmetric matrices, having an optimum least squares fit to …

Usaf Pilot Perceptions Of Workload Assessment In A Combat Or High-Threat Environment, Kadircan Kottas

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzed the self-reported survey responses of 219 Air Force Pilots concerning their perceptions of workload assessment in a combat or a high threat environment. The first objective of this study was to determine and compare the combat workload factors of varying importance in combat workload assessment by aircraft and mission type flown. The second objective was to examine the pilots' perception of combat mission inflight workload. A stepwise regression model to predict the pilots' perceptions of inflight workload using pilots' characteristics data was explored. Research conclusion varied among aircraft types. Combat workload items indicated as distractingly important were …

Assessment Of Customer Perceptions Of The Hazardous Materials Pharmacy, Sean M. O'Brien

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force began operations of a Hazardous Material Pharmacy (HMP) in the late 80s. This thesis identifies causes of positive and negative perceptions of the HMP among its customers. Focus groups were used to determine customer perceptions. Several Total Quality Management (TQM) tools were used in this analysis. Brainstorming was used to generate customer perceptions. Affinity diagrams were used to group data into meaningful categories. Interrelationship digraphs were used to determine influence among causes of perception and to rank the causes of perception. This study showed that lack of clear policy and support of the HMP were the leading …

An Analysis Of The Use Of Social Processes During Computer Use, Shawna R. Wimpy

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the claim that people use social processes relating to other humans when interacting with computers. A laboratory study (n = 38) manipulated two team factors, identity and interdependence and a stereotype activation effect to two labels, generalist and specialist. Subjects for this study were military members or civilians working for the military. The results show that none of the subjects reported being influenced by team or stereotype manipulations as given in self-reports. Incongruent to these findings, the behavioral data demonstrated that subjects were influenced by stereotype labels. There were no interaction effects between team factors and stereotype …

Subjective Quality Of Experience With The Internet: Accounting For Temporal Changes In User Acceptance Of Information Technology, Jason M. Turner

Theses and Dissertations

Contemporary information technology (IT) related research has focused on use as a key dependent measure for valuing IT. By understanding the determinants of IT use, we gain descriptive information about successful IT, and prescriptive information for better deploying IT resources. Although there are several competing theories regarding IT use, research findings often cite their inability to account for temporal changes in usage behaviors. This thesis introduces quality of experience as a potential moderator between the determinants of use and actual usage behaviors. A pilot survey concerning Internet usage generated potentially relevant items which were later refined into a questionnaire assessing …

A Multi-Method Inquiry Into Managerial Coaching, Deborah J. Petricek

Dissertations and Theses

Managerial coaching is a little understood and assessed phenomenon. An exploratory study was conducted in order to describe and examine coaching practices in the work world. Interviews were conducted with a group of managers and direct reports from a single company. Based on the interview discourse and previous research, two scales were developed in order to investigate the coach and coachee domains. Manager and associate survey forms were constructed using these new scales and the Leader /Member Exchange (LMX) in order to investigate the relationship domain of coaching. In addition, the Least-Preferred Co-worker (LPC) scale was included in the manager …

Subsystem Variables Associated With Positive Foster Mother-Foster Child Relationships, Meg Sandow

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Many researchers have explored variables that appear to influence a foster child's placement, and both researchers and theorists have noted the need for an overarching understanding of the variables that may affect a foster child's care and progress. This study examined four interlinking subsystems of foster care: the foster child, the family of origin, the foster parent, and the social worker. Data regarding relevant variables for each of these subsystems were analyzed by means of canonical correlations, factor analyses, a multiple regression, and zero-order correlations. Participants in the study were 42 foster children from the Chesapeake and Suffolk Departments of …

The Influence Of Foreign Culture On Air Force Contingency Contracting Operations, Christian M. Ruefer

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Contingency Contracting Officers (CCOs) are increasingly finding themselves an integral part of overseas deployments, purchasing in theater whatever the combat forces cannot bring with them. As a result, CCOs must deal directly with businesses and the individuals who operate them in the deployed location. Cultural differences between the CCO and suppliers can become an issue not encountered in stateside operations. This thesis was designed to explore the possible impact of culture on the deployed CCO's ability to do their job. There were four objectives of this study. First, those tasks CCOs must accomplish in order to perform their job …

Group Therapy For Sexually Abused Adolescents : Assessment Of Coping Skills, Negative Beliefs, And Self-Esteem, Kimberly R. Akin

Master's Theses

The sexual victimization of children in an increasing crime problem in this country and is now also recognized as a serious mental health issue. It has been estimated that the risk of victimization could be as high as one in ten for boys (Finkelhor, 1979) and one in three for girls (Anderson, Martin, Mullen, Romans, & Herbison, 1993). Girls are eight times as likely as boys to suffer rape (Finkelhor & Dziuba-Leatherman, 1994). Prevalence rates estimate between 15% and 38% of women (Finkelhor, 1984; Herman, 1981) and 6% of men (Finkelhor, 1984) have experienced childhood sexual abuse (CSA).

There is …

The Development And Validation Of A Multicomponent Scale Measuring Aids Phobia, Jessica Purtan Harrell

Masters Theses

The development, reliability, and validity of a new instrument, the Multicomponent AIDS Phobia Scale (MAPS), is described. The results indicate that the MAPS has strong internal consistency and moderate test-retest reliability. In addition, an assessment of concurrent and discriminant validity indicates statistically significant correlations with other self-report measures of anxiety, hypochondriasis, obsessive compulsive disorder, and fear of AIDS. The results of a factor analysis indicate that the scale consists of 2 factors: fear of infection and fear of others/avoidance. The instrument appears to be a reliable and valid measure of AIDS Phobia and may prove useful for improving clinical assessment …

Effects Of Linear And Non-Linear Incentive Pay Systems With Individual And Group Payouts On The Social Psychology Phenomenon Of Social Loafing, Delores A. Tinley Smoot

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was twofold. First, the experiment investigated the occurrence of social loafing behavior when individuals are engaged in a production task. Social loafing is defined as a decrement in individual performance when working co-actively with a group. Second, the experiment compared the effectiveness of three incentive pay systems (linear, positively and negatively accelerating) in eliminating social loafing behavior and in generating performance levels higher than those generated by a flat or hourly pay system.

Sixteen undergraduate students, all female, participated in twenty-five 15- minute work sessions in which they made widgets from pop beads. Subjects …

Human Impulsivity: Effects Of Reinforcement Procedure, Catherine A. Karas

Dissertations

In this study, positive and negative reinforcement procedures were directly compared across subjects to determine whether more impulsive responding would occur with one reinforcement procedure when compared to the other, under a discrete-trial choice procedure. For both reinforcement procedures, taped music served as the reinforcer. For the positive reinforcer, subjects brought in their own music, from which tapes were made for use in the study. Subjects then ranked the tapes according to their preferences. For the negative reinforcers, the investigators made tapes of various types of music, and all subjects ranked their preferences for these tapes. Subjects were then presented …

Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing (Emdr) In The Treatment Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Dismantling The Cognitive Component, Karen Cusack

Masters Theses

Twenty-three individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for post traumatic stress disorder were randomly assigned to either a standard EMDR treatment group or a modified treatment group that omitted the cognitive reprocessing component of EMDR. All subjects were assessed on a variety of pretest posttest measures including the SCL-90- R, the Impact of Events, the Structured Interview for PTSD, SUDS, and Validity of Cognitions (VoC). Results of repeated measures ANOVAs indicate a significant decrease across all pre to post measures, with these results being maintained at a 1 month followup. With the exception of SUDs and SCL-90-R anxiety scores, there were no …

Student Outcomes, Educational Technology, And Assessment In Large Classrooms: Effects On Planned Behavior, Tanya Leigh Ostrogorsky

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of educational technology and classroom assessment on student outcomes. The research used a pretest post-test matched pairs design to test these effects. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used as a foundation for the model tested. Differences between the model tested and the TPB include the addition of Perceived Behavioral ControlTime 2 (PBC), and the dropping of Subjective Norms from the model. Participating faculty were trained in the use of educational technology, assessment, and course design. Each faculty taught two sections of a large course: first without the enhancements; …

A Test Of The Self-Regulatory Model Of Prejudice Reduction, Sonja Williams

Student Work

Two assumptions derived from Devine and Monteith’s (1993) self-regulatory model of prejudice reduction were tested utilizing a stereotype-activating stimulus believed to be similar to one which is more likely to occur in everyday-life than those used in previous research. Black and white actors making ambiguously hostile statements were evaluated by 92 low and high-prejudiced participants. Rating-scale data provided partial support for the assumption that low-prejudiced participants inhibit stereotype-consistent responses and replace them with personal, more egalitarian beliefs. Specifically, low-prejudiced participants provided significantly more favorable ratings than their high-prejudiced counterparts (p = .030). Reaction-time data provided support for the model’s assumption …

Acculturation In Relation To Somatization And Mental Health Attitudes Among Asian Americans, Natasha A. E. Wong

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

A total of 98 Asian Americans completed surveys which consisted of a demographic questionnaire, the Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale (SL-ASIA), the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale (ATSPPHS), and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R). Pearson correlations were conducted between acculturation and the four subscales of the ATSPPHS, acculturation and somatization as indicated by the somatic items on the SCL-90-R, and somatization and the four subscales of the ATSPPHS. Significant negative correlations were found between acculturation and somatization, and somatization and the interpersonal openness subscale of the ATSPPHS. A significant positive correlation was also found between acculturation and the interpersonal …

African-American Males' Perception Of Law Enforcement: A Psychophysiological Perspective, Adolph Brown Iii

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study compared the psychophysiological reactivity of African American and European American males to authority. Nineteen African American males and 23 European American males were randomly assigned to either be interrogated by a police officer, or see a police officer interrogate that experimenter or view a videotape of police activity. Participants' physiological reactivity, acceptance of authority, fear of negative evaluation or social anxiety, and apprehension and anxiety in stressful situations as well as EMG, SCR, heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure were measured. African American males were hypothesized to show greater physiological response than European American males and participants who …

To Lead A Team: Construct Validity Evidence For Team Leadership In The High-Tech Industry, Johanna M. Merritt

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Two studies were conducted to gather evidence of construct validity for functions of team leadership. The research built on a continuing line of background research. Three hundred and thirty-seven team leaders from sixty-three companies in the manufacturing electronics industry participated in the studies and completed surveys.

Four types of validity evidence were examined: content, criterion-related, convergent, and discriminant. Content validity evidence was demonstrated in Study 1. The overwhelming majority of team leaders perFormed the proposed functions and rated them as important. A confirmatory analysis did not indicate a parsimonious fit among the seven functions that were generated from background research …

Fostering The Development Of Domain-General, Nonlinear Mental Models: A Foundation For Systemic Thinking, Jeffrey S. Sinn

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Two experiments examined whether people can develop a domain-general, nonlinear mental model when provided with an appropriate conceptual model. Both experiments presented causal loop models (i.e., variables connected in a circle by arrows representing causal relationships) as a conceptual model for positive feedback. Study 1 found that participants trained in causal loop modeling could accurately represent scenarios of low but not high complexity. Study 2 expanded on the design of Study 1 by varying the type of training and type of aid presented during testing. Participants received training with modeling instruction, training with cue-utilization instruction (i.e., participants were trained to …

A Comparison Of Coping Styles And Body Image Of Abused And Non-Abused Women, Laura Elizabeth Brown

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study compared body image, patterns of coping, and the relationship between these factors in subjects with and without a reported background of childhood incest. Self-report measures of personal experience (Relevant Variable Questionnaire and the Assessment of Coping Interview), body image (the Human Figure Drawing Test (HFDT) and the Body Image Assessment (BIA)), and coping (the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES), the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (AECOM) Coping Scale, and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R)) were administered individually to twenty-two women with reported incest histories and an equal number of women with no reported history of sexual or physical abuse. Significant …