Psychology Commons^™

A Comparison Of Resistance To Extinction Following Dynamic And Static Schedules Of Reinforcement, Andrew R. Craig

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Behavioral momentum theory states that the Pavlovian stimulus-reinforcer relation governs resistance to extinction. Thus, higher baseline reinforcer rates should produce more persistent behavior than lower baseline reinforcer rates. Though this positive relation generally is observed when behavior is maintained and subsequently disrupted in multiple schedules, the opposite relation is observed when single schedules are used. An alternative framework of extinction performance based on Bayesian change detection may be applied intuitively to describe resistance to extinction in single schedules of reinforcement. This approach asserts that detection of changes in reinforcer rates during extinction should be easier following training with rich reinforcer …

A Comparison Of Rational Versus Empirical Methods In The Prediction Of Psychotherapy Outcome, Glen I. Spielmans

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Several systems have been designed to monitor psychotherapy outcome, in which feedback is generated based on how a client's rate of progress compares to an expected level of progress. Clients who progress at a much lesser rate than the average client are referred to as signal-alarm cases. Recent studies have shown that providing feedback to therapists based on comparing their clients' progress to a set of rational, clinically derived algorithms has enhanced outcomes for clients predicted to show poor treatment outcomes. Should another method of predicting psychotherapy outcome emerge as more accurate than the rational method, this method would likely …

A Comparison Of The Relative Impact Of Structural And Dynamic Child Care Quality On Child Outcomes, Jared Cutler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Child care researchers divide child care quality into two separate categories: structural child care quality (adult-child ratios, class size, amount of physical space, etc.) and dynamic child care quality (number and quality of teacher-child relationships). A consensus has emerged in the child care literature that structural child care quality has no direct effect on children's developmental outcomes (e.g., language development, social development, school readiness). Rather, structural child care quality facilitates dynamic child care quality, which then has a direct effect on child outcomes. While child care researchers frequently assert that structural variables merely facilitate dynamic variables, and have no direct …

Estimating R2 Shrinkage In Multiple Regression: A Comparison Of Different Analytical Methods, Ping Yin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated the effectiveness of various analytical methods used for estimating R² shrinkage in multiple regression analysis. Two categories of analytical formulae were identified: estimators of the population squared multiple correlation coefficient (ρ²), and estimators of the population cross-validity coefficient (ρ_c²). To avoid possible confounding factors that might be associated with a real data set such as data nonnormality, lack of precise population parameters, different degrees of multicollinearity among the predictor variables, and so forth, the Monte Carlo method was used to simulate multivariate normal sample data, with prespecified population parameters such as …

A Comparative Study Of The Effect Of Paper-And-Pencil Versus Computer Administration Of An Achievement Test, Perry Sailor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The study examined whether, under comparable testing conditions, second- and fourth-grade students who took a computer-administered (CA) achievement test in mathematics achieved the same mean score as comparable students who took the same test by paper and pencil (PP).

For number correct, the CA standardized mean difference effect size was - 0.28, which was larger than the expected effect size of zero, although not statistically significant at .05. It was noted that CA subjects completed the test more quickly, on the average, than PP subjects (CA effect size for time to completion = - 0.79). When time to completion was …

A Comparison Of The Verbal Productions Of Normal And Behaviorally Disordered Children Using Interview And Color Book Techniques, Alan L. Muhlestein

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to test the usefulness of The Color Book in facilitating interactions between an interviewer and a child. Interviews employing The Color Book were compared with interviews in which no art materials were used. More specifically the question of whether the length of utterances, number of emotional words used and statements about self by the subjects differed between groups using the Color Book and interviews without art materials.

Subjects were forty grade school age children attending public schools. Twenty had previously been classified as behaviorally disordered and the other twenty had no such classification. Half …

A Comparison Between Desensitization And Relaxation Training In The Treatment Of Primary Dysmenorrhea, Susan Myrna Jones Carcelli

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The use of relaxation, desensitization, and relaxation plus desensitization in the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea was investigated in this study. Subjects were 45 university women who experienced either congestive or spasmodic dysmenorrhea. Each subject was individually treated in four, one-hour sessions during the first 20 days of her menstrual cycle. Subjects were divided into three groups: Group 1 obtained four hours of progressive relaxation training, group 2 was asked to self-relax while being administered scenes from a standardized menstrual hierarchy, and group 3 obtained both relaxation training and desensitization. Type of dysmenorrhea was assessed by the Menstrual Symptom Questionnaire (MSQ). …

Inhalant Use Among Native American Adolescents: A Comparison Of Users And Nonusers At Intemountain Intertribal School, John L. Wingert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this study was to investigate a population of identified inhalant users at Intermountain Intertribal School, comparing and contrasting two user groups to a control group of nonusers on a number of selected research variables. The subjects included 42 identified inhalant users. Subjects were further classified into two user groups: one-time users and repeat users, and 20 nonusers. The nonuser group comprised the control group. Each subject was individually interviewed and administered the research and data collection instruments. In addition, other essential information was taken from permanent school records.

A one-way analysis of variance was computed to ascertain …

A Comparison Of Second Grade Children's Learning Curves On School Tasks With Their Respective Performances On The "Black Box Test Of Learning Ability", Robert Stephen Knox

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated the usefulness of the Black Box Test of Learning Ability as an indicator of children's performance on math and writing tasks. Twelve second grade students, seven to eight years of age, demonstrated naivete on both tasks and were subsequently individually administered the learning test. The subjects were divided into two groups, and each group received a different task presentation order. Composite scores were derived for all subjects and tasks, and individual learning curves were compared.

The combined Black Test score produced a significantly high correlate to math (rho = .733) and writing (rho = .841) than either …