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Neural Correlates Of Cardiac Orienting Response Habituation, Judith Craig Sanwald

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

This study represents an attempt to determine some of the neural correlates of habituation to repetitive auditory stimulation, and to relate those correlates to the existing theories concerning habituation mechanisms. As the following literature review will reveal, a well controlled correlational study dealing with habituation to auditory stimulation is needed.

Job Attitude, Motivation, Personality Traits And Perceived Deficiencies In Need Fulfillment As A Function Of Job Level, Jeff Trullinger

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A study of 958 managers is reported which investigates, by questionnaire, differences in perceived deficiencies in need fulfillment at all levels of management in both large and small organizations. It further gives attention to the relative importance of 13 personality traits for success in their management position, and examines whether motivational commonality exists among various job conditions at all levels of management. Results indicate: (a) all levels of management tend to be similar in the relative ranks they give to the importance of needs regardless of size of organization, (b) self-actualization and autonomy needs seem to be most important by …

Schedule-Induced Polydipsia: Effects Of Delayed Water Availability, James Thomas Rowan

Masters Theses

Five albino rats developed schedule-induced polydipsia when placed on a fixed-interval 90 second or fixed-time 90 second schedule of food reinforcement with water concurrently available on a fixed-ratio two. The imposition of 15 second and 30 second delay contingencies on water availability following pellet delivery failed to eliminate the schedule-induced polydipsia. Results are discussed in terms of two hypotheses previously proposed to account for the post-pellet nature of the schedule-induced polydipsic phenomenon.

The Application Of The Species Specific Defense Reaction Hypothesis To Free Operant Avoidance, Deborah Ann Cory

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Remembering The Functional Sentence, Donald J. Polzella

Psychology Faculty Publications

This report reviews the psychological and psycholinguistic literature from the last decade that deals with memory for sentences. It is concluded the the encoded representation of a sentence reflects both syntactic and semantic content, with the semantic content being far less transient.

The Effects Of A Brief Preparatory Quiz On Exam Taking Proficiency, William F. Hoehle

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Anxiety In The Stimulus Preference And Play Patterns, Betty R. Rutherford

Student Work

The play patterns and stimulus preference of 20 preschool children were observed during low and high s tress conditions. The stress manipulation was contingent upon the child's preparation for a medical appointment. Heart rate recordings and a questionnaire were used as Indices of stress. Children manifested a preference toward creative-constructive play under conditions of increased stress , with a resultant decrease in manipulative and imaginative play. Play with relevant or irrelevant toys did not change significantly during the increased stress condition. Pencil—paper measures of stress used in previous studies were significantly related to the physiological measure of stress . No …

Current And Future Characterizations Of Self; A Theoretical Model For Analyzing The Sources And Functions Of Self-Conceptions, Robert Bilby

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Two-Component Chained Schedules Of Reinforcement And Fixed Interreinforcement Time, Philip D. Bruce

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Comparison Of Omission, Extinction, And Extinction-2 Procedures In A Multiple Schedule, Dan O. Coldeway

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Method For Sensing And Recording Simultaneous Behavioral And Electrophysiological Epileptiform Activity And The Observed Suppression Of Paroxysmal Spiking Activity With Classical Conditioning Procedures, J. H. Tough

Masters Theses

A method for sensing and recording the simultaneous behavioral and electrophysiological activity of epileptic seizures was developed. An activity sensing cage consisting of an inverted loudspeaker translated motor behavior into voltage changes. The resultant voltage changes were integrated, amplified and recorded on a polygraph concurrently with electrophysiological data. The method was shown to 1) sense reliably a repeated standard input, 2) be sensitive to differing minute amounts of force and 3) produce data which lends itself to analysis with less variability than a more conventional technique.

Experimental manipulation of epileptiform activity revealed that a behavioral response to the onset of …

The Effects Of A Programmed Sex Education Course On Institutionalized Mental Patients, Alan G. Zukerman

Masters Theses

There is an apparent need for sex education programs targeted to young institutionalized mental patients. A sex education course was developed that could be easily disseminate and have potential general applications and utility in institutional settings. Data were taken on the effectiveness of the course, its effects on sexual and sex-related values of the subjects, its influence on selfratings of behavior, and evaluative responses of the subjects to the course itself. A pretest-posttest experimental design was used with a control group included. The results showed that factual knowledge in sexual areas was significantly increased by the course. Experimental subjects' values …

One-Trial Versus Incremental Learning : A Re-Evaluation Employing Signal Detection Theory, James William Hyams

Master's Theses

The purpose of the present study was to lend support to either the one-trial or incremental theory of learning by examining the probability of correct responses as a function of prior stimulus exposure. Signal detection theory was employed as the method of analysis. Two experiments tested the theories in a verbal learning task and a psychomotor task. On each of three trials a list of 6 AB pairs or 6 AB distances was presented once, then one of these 6 pairs or distances was tested for recognition. On the recognition test either AB (a previously viewed pair or distance) or …

The Effect Of Consummatory Stimuli On Brain Stimulation Reinforcement: Further Differentiation Of Killing And Feeding Mechanisms In The Posterior Hypothalamus Of Rats, Matthew S. Zweig

Senior Scholar Papers

Traditionally, killing or aggressive behavior has been viewed as an operant performed to gain reinforcement such as food. There is, however, increasing evidence indicating that killing is reinforcing in itself. Myer and White (1965) and Van Herrel (1970) have shown that natural killing behavior can be used to reinforce the learning of discrimination. Roberts and Kiess (1964) implanted electrodes in the anterior hypothalamus of natural non-killing rats and elicited killing behavior. They showed that this electrically elicited killing could also be used to reinforce the learning of discrimination. Thompson (1963,1964) demonstrated that both Siamese fighting fish and fighting game cocks …

The Effects Of A Token Economy On Epileptic Seizure Rates, Frederick Hjalmer Lindberg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Past studies have shown that a relationship may exist between certain forms of epileptic seizures and specific environmental stimuli. This relationship is not well understood. The objective of this study was to assess this relationship by determining the effect of a selected token economy on seizure rates. The token economy utilized in this study may differ from token economies described in the literature as it employed certain punishers. This was done by dividing the study into three experiments.

During Experiment I three severe epileptics were exposed to a series of conditions including baseline, token economy condition and baseline. During the …

The Development Of Career Activities For Fourth Grade Students, Barbara P. M. Southwick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Today's youth have few real contacts with the work world and have little knowledge of what is expected from them. Many grade school youngsters are not aware of the type of work their parents are doing. Some do not even know where their parents work. It is difficult for most elementary students to see the relationship between their present school activities and their future life. And all too often, students can not express personal goals or plans.

As students become more aware of the world of work, they should be better prepared to enter it and they should also develop …

Self-Imposed Delays Of Reinforcement In Conjunctive Schedules, Daniel M. Mccarthy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This experiment examined the role of delays of reinforcement in producing the response pattern generated by fixed interval (FI) schedules. Conjunctive schedules which required one response and maintained a 100 sec interreinforcement interval were used. These schedules permitted a variable delay of reinforcement to separate the last response in each interval from reinforcement. The maximum delay was specified, however, by specifying the percentage of the interval which must elapse before responses counted toward reinforcement. Maximum delays of 100, 95, 75, 50, 25, 5 and 0 seconds were examined and their effects on response rate, response distribution, and post-reinforcement pause were …

A Study Of Early Childhood Recollections As Reflective Or Projective Of Values In Society, Nancy Eskridge

Student Scholarship

This study explores the relationship between early childhood recollections and an individual's value system, drawing primarily from the Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler. The research was conducted to determine if early memories could serve as projective devices to reveal a person's life style and values, defined by Adler as an individual's unique way of striving for goals. The author establishes a theoretical framework by comparing Adler’s belief that memories are active productions reflecting a person's current outlook with Sigmund Freud’s theory of screen memories, which suggests that early recollections often serve to conceal more significant infantile repressions. Ultimately, the author …

The Comparative Effects Of Two Reinforcement Schedules Applied To Groups In Teaching Arithmetic Skills, Ronald C. Bennett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A behavioral approach to teaching in the public school system is difficult because of the inherent difficulty of finding positive reinforcers and administering them simultaneously to large groups of students.

This study attempts to apply the same tangible reinforcers to two groups of students under different schedules of reinforcement. The students in the study were in special classes termed "learning adjustment" classes because of their failure to perform at grade level in regular classroom settings.

One group was on a continuous schedule of reinforcement using tokens and gold strike stamps as reinforcers. The second group was also on a continuous …

Utilization Of Phoneme-Grapheme Relative Frequency Data As An Effective Method Of Developing Reading Materials For Navajo Students, Wesley K. Roberts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis suggests a new method of developing reading materials for Navajo students. The core of this method is based on phoneme- grapheme relative frequency correspondence data.

A short story was phonetically edited and rewritten using the phoneme-grapheme relative frequency method. This short story was one of the major products of the thesis.

This short story and three other short stories previously phonically rewritten, were presented in both this form and in original text to 38 Navajo students for reading.

Reading speed and reading comprehension were measured for each student on the short stories. The students performed with superior reading …

The Effects Of Hippocampal Lesions On Short Term Memory In The Rat, Alfred Collins

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Prior Training On The Acquisition Of Drl Performance, Susan E. Jasin

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Conceptual Color Matching, James T. Northrop

Masters Theses

The key pecking responses of six pigeons were reinforced in the presence of a bisected response key when both halves were of equal wavelength; responses to non-matching presentations were not reinforced. Subsequent generalization tests involving novel non-matching stimuli were conducted in extinction. The results indicated the acquisition of a conceptual color matching discrimination; however, post-discrimination training peak shifts may interfere with the demonstration of the concept of color matching.

Grooming Behavior And Competitive Dominance In The Albino Rat, Irwin M. Spigel, Susan Trivett, David Fraser

Social Behavior Collection

An experiment sought to compare dominance manifested in water competition under two levels of deprivation, with grooming activity in a non-deprived state. While competitive dominance was significantly related to motivational level, grooming emerged as a more stable indicator of social ascendance, and did not require prior manipulation of a biological state. The implications of this observation for broader aspects of social motivation arc discussed.

An Investigation Of The Effects Of Specific Parameters On An Experimental Analogue Of The Anxiety Relief Hypothesis, Gary W. Hardy

Masters Theses

Thirty-two, naive, albino rats were randomly assigned to one of eight treatment groups with four members per group. The apparatus used was a modified one-way avoidance chamber developed by Baum (1965). The variables studied were the effects of a retraining anxiety relief condition, a hierarchical presentation of tone with the anxiety relief condition, different inter-trial intervals, and the interactions of these variables. All subjects were given the anxiety training to a ninety decibel tone and one-half of the subjects were given anxiety relief training. All subjects were trained to a criterion of ten consecutive avoidance responses in a one-way avoidance …

Attitudes Toward The War In Viet Nam: A Population Study, Ralph George O'Sullivan

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Interest, Achievement And Personality Differences And The Direction Of Lateral Eye Movement, Frances Irene Lewis

All Master's Theses

An eye movement identified as being related to personality and achievement differences in individuals was investigated. Subjects were 116 college freshmen who were classified as right or left movers on the basis of the direction their eyes moved laterally during reflective thought. The classifications were correlated with variables of sex, eye dominance, handedness, personality and achievement scores. Findings indicate significant correlations for left handed subjects on Economic and Political scales and Verbal achievement but no significant correlations for right handed subjects.

Speed Of Conflict Resolution As Related To The Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale, Jeffrey Carter Fracher

Master's Theses

The topic of conflict resolution is one which has received relatively little attention in psychological research even though individuals encounter, and must re­solve, numerous conflicts in their daily lives. The present paper will attempt to shed some light on several facets of this area of interest.

The Effects Of The Female Sex Hormones On Food And Water Intake And On Body Weight After Hypertonic Stress In The Female Rat, John Kibler

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

A Review Of "Longitudinal Study" In Developmental Psychology, Emily H. Finley

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this library research thesis is to review the "longitudinal study" in terms of problems and present use. A preliminary search of the literature on longitudinal method revealed problems centering around two areas: (1) definition of "longitudinal study" and (2) practical problems of method itself. The purpose of this thesis then is to explore through a search of books and journals the following questions:

1. How can “longitudinal study” be defined?

2. What problems are inherent in the study of the same individuals over time and how can these problems be solved?

A third question which emerges from …