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The Writing Response In Studies Of Topography-Based And Selection-Based Verbal Behavior, Osborn Cresson

Dissertations

The position taken in this paper is that the observable world is the only one needed in our analysis, that behavior is a reaction to the environments in which it occurs, and that language is more behavior that can be studied effectively as a dependent variable that varies as a function of independent variables manipulated by the experimenter.

Our goal was to study topography-based and selection-based verbal behavior with emphasis on the writing response and then to produce a report that would serve as a guide for other students of behavior and environment.

Sixteen undergraduate college students participated in 115 …

The Effects Of A Problem-Solving And Imagery-Based Suggestion On Analgesic Responding In Low, Medium, And High Hypnotizable Females, Gloria Haddad Taggett

Dissertations

This study assessed the effects of a problem-solving suggestion as compared with an imagery-based suggestion on analgesic responding in subjects scoring in the low, medium, and high ranges on scales of hypnotizability. Subjects were exposed at separate intervals to either an hypnotic suggestion patter containing specific imagery designed to enhance analgesic performance, or alternatively to a suggestion patter that provided only general problem-solving direction, but contained no specific imaginal guidance. Performance was assessed using two duration measures on a cold-pressor test. Specific measures included both the total time duration a subject held the target hand in cold water (tolerance) as …

Effects Of Caffeine Consumption On Cardiovascular Indices, Attention, Task Performance, And Memory Retention In Children, Suzanne L. Keller

Dissertations

Caffeine is one of the most commonly used drugs in the western world today. Average intake of caffeine in the United States has been estimated at greater than 200 mg daily per person. Although plagued by inconsistencies, and methodological problems, research suggests that this level of caffeine ingestion may have significant effects on cardiovascular functioning, and behavioral processes such as attention, cognitive processing, memory, and task performance.

Although children consume significant quantities of caffeine, very little research has been done on the effects of caffeine in children. The limited findings suggest that caffeine consumption may affect the cognitive and behavioral …

The Effects Of Caffeine And Affective Imagery On Facial Emg In Women, Robert Francis Mirabella

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research findings on the effects of caffeine on mood have been mixed. Some studies report that caffeine increases anxiety and alertness while others do not. The variability in outcome of caffeine studies may be due to the insensitivity of self-report measures. An alternative to self-report is facial EMG which may be superior to self-report since the degree of concordance between facial EMG and affective valence ratings is considerably higher than the degree of concordance between behavioral, self-report, and physiological measures. Typically, studies investigating the effects of caffeine on mood have tested caffeine's effects on idiosyncratic mood states which prevailed in …

Vol. 17 No. 3 (1994): Pacific Studies Full Issue, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, and …

Recovered Memory Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This article examines the psychological basis for repression and recovery of traumatic memories, presents the results of research on potential sources of error in delayed or recovered memories, and offers possible reasons (primarily related to clinical practice and collective behavior) for false accusations of sexual abuse.

A Descriptive Study Of Offenders Sentenced To Special Alternative Incarceration From 1988-1990 In Kalamazoo County, Sherri Deboef Chandler

Masters Theses

This is a descriptive study of the first two-year cohort of offenders sentenced in Kalamazoo County to Special Alternative Incarceration (SAI). Data were compiled from the Kalamazoo County Probation Department records which indicated 84 young men were sentenced to SAI from its inception in 1988 to 1990. Data were gathered on these offenders spanning 1988 to 1992. Successful graduation from SAI, completion of the probationary period, and recidivism were compared to offense, race, SES, education, employment, and other variables. The data of this group were also compared to national data of those sentenced to Special Alternative Incarceration programs. This group …

The Effects Of Prenatal Stress On The Size Of The Corpus Callosum, Richard K. Rowe Ii

Master's Theses

The effects of prenatal stress on the size of the corpus callosum in rats was investigated using a prenatal heat, light, and restraint stress paradigm that influences the fetal hormonal milieu (Ward, 1972). Females were stressed thrice daily from Day 15 of pregnancy until parturition. Control females were left unstressed throughout their pregnancies. In adulthood (M = 223.16 days of age), male and female offspring from the two groups were sacrificed. Area, perimeter, and length of the corpus callosum were determined from sagittal sections of each brain. Results showed a sex difference for area, perimeter, and length of the corpus …

A Postmodern Perspective On Maslow´S Fourth Force Psychology: A Constructivist Alternative For Realizing An Eupsychian Workplace, R. I. Hayes

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

No abstract provided.

Validation Of A Preschool Screening Measure: The Dial-R, Wendy Simmons-Watts

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The classification and correlational validity of the DIAL-R was investigated for an at-risk population of preschoolers. Fifty-four preschool children (mean age 60.87 months) were administered the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning-Revised (DIALR) and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence- Revised (WPPSI-R). The classification agreement between the DIAL-R and WPPSI-R was high (.89) and statistically significant (Chi-Square(l) =19.01); however, the DIAL-R failed to identify six children in need of services resulting in a sensitivity index of .40. The DIAL-R did not over identify any children resulting in a specificity index of 1.00. The DIAL-R was found to …

"The Party”: Role-Playing To Enhance Multicultural Understanding, Ellen N. Junn

Office of the Provost Scholarship

Describes a role-playing activity used to teach the effects of stereotyping and enhance multicultural understanding. Student response.

Mass Media As An Information Channel And Public Arena, Hans Peter Peters

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Professor Peters argues that several functions of mass media compete and that attempts to improve risk coverage must avoid optimizing one at the expense of others.

Mother-Daughter Olfaction Identification, Linda N. Johnson

Modern Psychological Studies

Research was undertaken to see if it is possible for females to identify their mother or daughter by olfactory cues alone. Twenty-two females, 11 daughters and 11 mothers, participated in the experiment. Mothers ranged in age from 37 to 46 and daughters ranged in age from 11 to 21. Each subject was blindfolded and asked to smell (hairline level) the necks of two different individuals. The individuals consisted of one relative (a mother or a daughter) and one control subject. Each subject, of course, was asked to identify her relative. Seventeen of the 22 subjects correctly identified her relative (p < .01, 2-tailed binomial test). A second experiment was administered to determine if subjects could correctly distinguish between cotton pads that had been placed, for the duration of experiment one, under the arm of another subject and under that of a relative. Fifteen of the 22 subjects correctly identified the cotton pad of their relative, (p <.05, 2-tailed binomial test). The null hypothesis that there would not be a statistically significant difference in the number of females able to recognize their mother or daughter and those who could not was rejected.

Behavioral Effects Of Irreversible Dopamine Receptor Inactivation In The Preweanling Rat: Assessment Of The Receptor Reserve Hypothesis, Suzanne L. Reid, Sanders A. Macdougall

Modern Psychological Studies

EEDQ is an irreversible receptor antagonist that eliminates the dopamine (DA) mediated behaviors of adults rats. In contrast, EEDQ does not seem to affect the DA mediated behaviors of preweanling rat pups. One explanation for this age dependent difference is that rat pups may have a DA receptor reserve, not available to adults, which is sufficient to mediate behavior. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to determine whether a Di and D2 receptor reserve exists in preweanling rats. A total of 96, 17-dayold rat pups were injected with EEDQ (7.5 mg/kg) or its vehicle immediately after being trained …

The Effects Of Positive And Negative Retrieval Cues On Release From Retroactive Interference, Michael P. Etgen

Master's Theses

The following study examined the effects of positive and negative retrieval cues within a release from retroactive interference design. Predictions based upon a modification to the cue-overloading hypothesis were evaluated. Subjects were 79 Introductory Psychology students. They learned two lists, each composed of four-legged animals, and were tested for recall of the originally-learned list. Informed subjects were supplied with a retrieval cue for the interpolated list to provide a release from retroactive interference. All subjects were further divided into those who were released by becoming aware during original learning and those who were not. Comparisons revealed a reliable and comparable …

The Effects Of Positive And Negative Retrieval Cues On Release From Retroactive Interference, Michael P. Etgen

Master's Theses

The following study examined the effects of positive and negative retrieval cues within a release from retroactive interference design. Predictions based upon a modification to the cue-overloading hypothesis were evaluated. Subjects were 79 Introductory Psychology students. They learned two lists, each composed of four-legged animals, and were tested for recall of the originally-learned list. Informed subjects were supplied with a retrieval cue for the interpolated list to provide a release from retroactive interference. All subjects were further divided into those who were released by becoming aware during original learning and those who were not. Comparisons revealed a reliable and comparable …

The Effects Of Social Competition Of The Economic Behavior Of Rats, Jennifer D. Johns '94

Honors Projects

Recent studies have shown that the law of supply and demand describes behavior on simple Variable Interval (VI) schedules. When the quantity of reinforcement supplied is large, animals will "pay" less for the reinforcer than when quantity supplied is small. These studies, however, feature organisms responding alone in operant chambers, without the social competition which economists argue drive the law of supply and demand. The present series of experiments examine the effects of social context on the economic behavior of rats on VI schedules. Rats responded on a pseudo-randomly assigned sequence of VI schedules differing in reinforcement rate. During half …

Assessment Of Parental Expectations: A Preliminary Investigation Of The Expectation Sort For Parents, Jennifer J. Stepan

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The standards that parents set for their children and the expectations they hold are an important consideration in studying family dynamics, development of a child's self-esteem, quality of parental care, emotional responses to required and desired behavior, and virtually any other aspect of the parent-child relationship. Parents maintain expectations of their child's physical, socio-emotional, and intellectual development. Children's self-concept, self-esteem, and general emotional well-being are all affected by their ability to fulfill parents' expectations. Failure to live up to a standard that is important to the parent could lead to psychological distress for the child and disruption in the family. …

Immune And Endocrine System Responses To Acute Skin-Temperature Reductions And Thermal Biofeedback, Kenneth E. Bell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the cold pressor test on skin temperature, natural killer cell activity, plasma concentrations of interleukin-1 and cortisol, and the numbers of white blood cells, CD3+ cells, CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells, and CD56+ cells in the peripheral blood. In addition, the study examined whether thermal biofeedback, when presented following the cold pressor tests, would mitigate the effects of the cold pressor tests.

Four male university students completed pretest psychological inventories and were pretrained during nine laboratory sessions to increase their skin temperature to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. During the experiment, blood …

Vocal Learning In Grey Parrots (Psittacus Erithacus): Effects Of Social Interaction, Reference, And Context, Irene M. Pepperberg

Sentience Collection

For many passerines, the extent,timing, and even presence of allospecific vocal learning can be influenced by the form of input that is received. Little data exist, however, on vocal learning in parrots (Psittacidae). I have previously proposed that such vocal learning proceeds most readily when input is (1) referential, (2) contextually applicable, and (3) interactive. The referential aspect demonstrates the meaning of the code to be taught, the contextual aspect demonstrates the use that can be made of the information contained in the code, and the interactive aspect provides explicit training that is constantly adjusted to the level of the …

The Anterior Commissure : The Effects Of Sex And Prenatal Stress, Hendree Evelyn Jones

Master's Theses

The effects of prenatal stress (light/restraint) on the development of the anterior commissure (AC) were investigated. The AC is known to be a sexually dimorphic structure of the brain not directly involved in reproductive behavior; unlike hypothalamic structures and nuclei, however, little is known about its development. The present work examines two factors, sex and stress, known to influence other brain areas. Pregnant rats were assigned to prenatal treatment and control groups. The treatment group was stressed thrice daily for thirty minutes using light/restraint during the third trimester (day 14-21). Control dams remained undisturbed. Male and female offspring were killed …

"I’Ll Do It Tomorrow." A Radical Behavioral Analysis Of Procrastination, Cassandra Ann Braam

Dissertations

This study examined the problem of procrastination or the failure to complete tasks. Five similar rules were presented to five, four-year-old children, using a multielement design. The rules described contingencies varying in the specification of delays in the delivery of consequences and deadlines. In addition, a general statement of disapproval of procrastination was presented one time, in addition to a rule specifying a delayed consequence with no deadline, to determine its effect on an established pattern of procrastination. The results showed (a) rules specifying delayed consequences (indirect-acting contingencies) with no deadlines did not reliably control behavior, (b) rules specifying immediate …

The Role Of Laughter In The Thought Of Friedrich Nietzsche, Paul D. Gerdes

Institute for the Humanities Theses

The objective of this thesis is an analysis of the role of laughter in the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), by which I mean both its influence on his intellectual development, and the incorporation of it in his philosophy. Such an undertaking is important because, while it might seem somewhat odd for a philosopher, and particularly a German philosopher, to consider laughter fundamental to his thought, laughter does play an essential role in all of Nietzsche's writing.

For the purposes of this thesis, I will investigate three separate but interrelated aspects of Nietzsche's thought: the influence of the Dionysian tragic-comic …

Using Differential Outcome To Teach Medication Discriminations To Head Injured Adults, Scott C. Votava

Masters Theses

In attempt to replicate the DOE in teaching medication discriminations, the efficiency of differential outcomes and nondifferential outcomes procedures was compared. Additionally, the effects of the differential outcome procedures and nondifferential outcomes procedures upon generalization probes to novel medications were investigated. Finally, the effects of differential and nondifferential outcome procedures on probes to real medications were investigated. The results showed the differential outcome procedure employed produced the desired discrimination more rapidly than the nondifferential outcome procedure. No conclusive statement can be made regarding data obtained in generalization probes or in probes with real medications.

The Effect Of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Education Program On Knowledge, Attitudes And Sexual Behavior Of Selected College Students, Arlene Jaine Jackson Montgomery

Health Services Research Dissertations

The problem studied in this investigation was whether a behaviorally focused Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) Program affects the knowledge, sexual attitudes and sexual behavior of college students.

Three hundred and six first-and third-year college students were included in the study from one university located in Southeastern Virginia. The sample was predominately female, African-American and mainly between the ages of 16-22 years of age.

Freshmen students were presently enrolled in the institution's HIV/AIDS education program, which was a part of a required course. The class sessions consisted of a pretest prior to student's completing the reading assignment …

Numerical Competence In An African Gray Parrot (Psittacus Erithacus), Irene M. Pepperberg

Sentience Collection

An African gray parrot (Psittacus erithacus), Alex, trained to label vocally collections of 1-6 simultaneously presented homogeneous objects, correctly identified, without further training, quantities of targeted subsets in heterogeneous collections. For each test trial Alex was shown different collections of 4 groups of items that varied in 2 colors and 2 object categories (e.g., blue and red keys and trucks) and was asked to label the number of items uniquely defined by the conjunction of 1 color and 1 object category (e.g., "How many blue key?"). The collections were designed to provide maximal confounds (or distractions) and thus replicate the …

The Relationship Between Creep Feeding Behavior Of Piglets And Adaptation To Weaning: Effect Of Diet Quality, David Fraser, J. J.R. Feddes, E. A. Pajor

Feeding Behavior Collection

Individual variation in creep feed intake and its relation to adaptation to weaning were studied in piglets weaned at 4 wk of age. The animals received either a "low-complexity" creep-starter diet based on corn, barley and soybean meal (12 litters), or a "high-complexity", medicated, commercial diet without soybean meal (12 litters). Diets were fed as creep feed during the 2 wk before weaning, and as the sole diet during the 2 wk after weaning. Creep feeding behavior of piglets was monitored by video recording. Pigs fed the high-complexity diet consumed more creep feed (P < 0.05), tended to gain more during the week before weaning (P < 0.10), and converted feed more efficiently and gained more weight in the 2 wk after weaning (P < 0.01). Use of creep feed varied greatly among individual littermates. Multiple regression analysis showed that on the high-complexity diet, pigs that used creep feed more than their littermates tended to be those with low gains in weeks 1-3 after birth (P < 0.001), and tended to gain more weight during the week before and during the 2 wk after weaning (P < 0.01). The trends were consistent but weaker with the low-complexity diet. However, predictive power was low, with creep feeding accounting for only 4% of individual variation in post-weaning gain on the high-complexity diet and 1% on the low. Regardless of diet quality, therefore, creep feeding remained highly variable and only weakly related to weight gains during the 2 wk after weaning.

Extrapolating Human Probability Judgment, Daniel N. Osherson, Edward E. Smith, Tracy S. Myers, Eldar Shafir, Michael Stob

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

We advance a model of human probability judgment and apply it to the design of an extrapolation algorithm. Such an algorithm examines a person's judgment about the likelihood of various statements and is then able to predict the same person's judgments about new statements. The algorithm is tested against judgments produced by thirty undergraduates asked to assign probabilities to statements about mammals.

Transnational Anarchy; Selected Excerpts, Doug Ogilvie

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

No abstract provided.

Biological Aspects Of Transpersonalism, John Laurent

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

No abstract provided.