Psychology Commons^™

Seniors' Knowledge Of Elder Abuse, Neglect, And Exploitation In Urban Versus Rural West Virginia, Debra S. Evans

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Elder abuse, elder neglect/elder self-neglect, and elder exploitation, often referred to as elder maltreatment, is a present reality in the world today. Available research is limited since this topic has been formally recognized only since 1970. To date, limited progress has been made in understanding what elder maltreatment entails and its scope. The purpose of the present study was to test the knowledge of urban and rural West Virginia senior citizens (ages 55 and above) on the given topic. One-hundred and nine senior citizens from four senior citizen centers in WV (two urban and two rural) were included in this …

Group Productivity And How It Is Affected By An Imposed Group Structure, Vicki Fenwick

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The following study examined the ability of the stepladder technique to produce a high number of quality solutions using an applied industrial brainstorming task. Subjects were divided into three conditions; the alone group, the unstructured group, and the stepladder technique group. Each group then performed a task which required participants to provide solutions for an industrial brainstorming task. The quality and the quantity of the solutions were measured for each group. Two analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures were conducted but revealed no significant differences for either quantity or quality. Therefore, the stepladder technique showed no prominent advantages in this particular …

The Clinical Utility Of The Jesness Inventory, Stephanie J. Hayes-Harris

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Because previous research findings on the Jesness Inventory have been relatively inconsistent, the current study was conducted to further examine this instrument's reliability, convergent validity and classificatory ability. A 3 to 11 month test-retest interval used with 42 adjudicated adolescents yielded a mean correlation coefficient of .60 and suggested that the stability of the 11 individual subscales is questionable. Using 42 adjudicated adolescents and 48 outpatients, many significant correlations were obtained between the Jesness Inventory and the Adolescent Multiphasic Personality Inventory subscales. Similarly, the Asocial Index accurately classified the adjudicated adolescents as delinquent and the outpatient adolescents as nondelinquent, as …

Concurrent Validity Of The Mattis Dementia Rating Scale, Kathryn L. Ingles

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Dementia Rating Scale (DRS) is a brief, comprehensive screening instrument for neurological impairment. The DRS has a low floor and enables progressive levels of dementia to be measured. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the concurrent validity of the DRS. Eighteen subjects from nursing homes and personal care homes diagnosed with mild to moderate Dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type were involved in the research. The score on the DRS was correlated with the raw scores on the Block Design and Vocabulary subtests of the WAIS-III. Research indicates that the performance on the Block Design subtest is a …

Occupational Titles And The Perception Of Gender, Cynthia A. Lokey

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

First, this study examines the findings of Shinar’s (1975) study on the perception of gender in occupations in comparison to a current population. Second, the answers of a population of college students in WV were compared to their place of origin. Third, current neutral titles were compared to earlier gendered counterparts. Lastly, the answers of male and female respondents were analyzed.

Overall, occupational titles were found to be less gendered but retained their gender when compared to data collected by Shinar in 1975. Those respondents who were native to in WV were not found to be more stereotypical in their …

Business Technology: New Avenues For Sexual Harassment In The Workplace, Terri Stone Meadows

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Evaluations of scenarios describing workplace sexual harassment rendered through interpersonal versus technological means and rendered by a supervisor versus a co-worker were made by 178 college students (95 females and 83 males; M age = 23). The participants rated the seventeen sexual harassment scenarios using a three-point scale (1 = yes; 2 =no; 3 = unsure). For each scenario, participants rated whether the behavior in the scenario (1) was sexual harassment, (2) was inappropriate, but not necessarily sexual harassment, (3) would be a comfortable experience if the participant was a target of the behavior, and (4) was serious enough to …

Conduct Disorder Questionnaire, Dwayne L. Milam

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Conduct disorder is characterized by a pattern of rule violation in which the rights of those associated with the individual and society are violated. Frequently there are many problems at home, school, and within the community. Without early diagnosis and treatment these problems escalate. Many different techniques and assessment tools have been used to identify these individuals. Most rely on collateral informants, such as parents and teachers. Others are time consuming or not developed to specifically identify conduct disorder. The Conduct Disorder Questionnaire was developed by the author to address these issues. The questionnaire is a brief, easily scored self-report …

Peer Evaluation: Design And Implementation Of The Peer Evaluation Format, Christopher F. Nichols

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The following study examined the feasibility of using peer evaluation at a behavioral health center for assessing employee attitudes regarding the company’s appraisal process. A total of 30 subjects, both male and female, were chosen from a single department to pilot the peer evaluation. Subjects were surveyed in order to assess attitudes toward the process prior to participation. An outside corporation was chosen to assist in the selection of peer evaluation questions as well as compiling final ratings of each participant. A post peer evaluation survey assessed attitudes upon completion of the peer evaluation. Responses were averaged and percentages analyzed …

Chi Square Analysis Of The Supported Employment And Unsuccessful Placement Survey To Assess Individualized Needs When Program Planning, Melissa S. Nelson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study is a chi square analysis of the Supported Employment Survey (SES) and the Unsuccessful Placement Survey (UPS) developed for the purpose of this study. Subjects included 76 males and 35 females ranging from the ages of 19 to 64. All of the individuals included in this survey have been involved in supported employment programs throughout the state of West Virginia. Individuals were surveyed based on DSM-IV diagnosed disability (mental retardation verses mental illness), support networks during placement (living independently or with a family member), and previous experience in sheltered workshops prior to placement in support employment programs. Results …