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Sexual Orientation, Attachment, And Adult Relationship Quality, Earl Calvin Riggins Iii

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Comparisons were made between 55 heterosexual males, 49 heterosexual females, 56 homosexual males, and 35 homosexual females on measures of attachment, relationship satisfaction and relationship success. Results indicated that adult homosexuals experience greater difficulty than adult heterosexuals in becoming close to others. Individuals endorsing the secure attachment style reported greater relationship satisfaction than individuals endorsing either of the two insecure attachment styles. In addition, females reported greater relationship satisfaction than males. Significantly more individuals endorsing the secure attachment style reported their mothers to have been warm/responsive; significantly more heterosexual males and females than homosexual females reported their mothers to have …

Maternal Perceptions Of The Social Development And Behavior Of Asthmatic Children, Chelley A. Merrell

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

To assess the effects of asthma on the social development and behavior of asthmatic children, 60 mothers of 6- to 13-year-old children (30 mothers of asthmatics, 30 mothers of non-asthmatics) completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL: Achenbach & Edelbrock, 1986) and were administered the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (Vineland: Sparrow, Balla, & Cicchetti, 1984). It was hypothesized that asthmatic children would lag behind non-asthmatic peers in social development, defined as the development of age-appropriate behaviors (i.e., communication, daily living skills, and socialization). In addition, it was hypothesized that asthmatic children would exhibit more internalizing behaviors than non-asthmatic children. There were …

Computer-Based Procedural Performance As A Function Of Window Size And Format Type, Christina Ann Dipalo

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present experiment examined the effect of three levels of format (flowchart, menu, and extended text), two levels of window size (6-line and lg-line), two levels of procedural plan (Plan A and Plan B), and two levels of gender (male and female) on task completion speed and performance accuracy. A computer-based procedure display task was employed to measure subject performance on three dependent variables; the overall task completion time, the decision time between steps, and the performance accuracy on steps executed. Plans A and B were examined for equal cognitive complexity using a logical analysis prior to the start of …

Bipolar Control In Fixed Interfood Intervals, William L. Palya

Research, Publications & Creative Work

The ability of stimuli correlated with successive periods in a fixed interfood interval to support a response that produced or removed them was examined using pigeons. The degree to which those correlated stimuli elicited directed key pecks was also obtained. Stimuli early in the interval functioned as negative reinforcers, and stimuli late in the interval functioned as positive reinforcers. Stimuli correlated with successively later portions of the second half of the interval supported successively higher rates of elicited pecking and, with the exception of the final stimulus, supported successively higher rates of stimulus production. Stimuli in successively earlier portions of …

The Perceptual Weighting Of Speech-Related Acoustic Cues For 3 & 1/2-Year-Old Children Differs From That Of Adults: Results Using Natural And Synthetic Stimuli, Carol J. Manning

Student Work

Previous studies have found that children’s judgments of syllable-initial /s/ and / ∫ / are more related to the vocalic F2 transition and less related to the fricative-noise spectrum than are adults’ judgments [Nittrouer & Studdert- Kennedy, JSHR, 30 (1987); Nittrouer, J. Phon., 20 1992]. These results have been taken as evidence that young children organize linguistic input in units more closely approximating syllable size than phoneme size. Furthermore, such results have led to a model of speech development proposing that children’s weighting of the acoustic cues for phonemic categories changes as they gain linguistic experience, with a general shift …

The Impact Of Goal Setting And Empowerment On Governmental Matrix Organizations, Stephen R. Corey, Patricea W. Hogan

Theses and Dissertations

The matrix management concept is currently in use by many DoD organizations. Theories of goal setting and empowerment seem to align with some of the responsibilities assumed by matrix project managers. The research problem was to determine whether will-functioning government matrix organizations owe their effectiveness to a project-oriented matrix organization structure, or to good goal setting and empowerment practices by managers. Interviews were conducted at three SPOs at WPAFB and at DLA's DESC and DCSC. Qualitative analysis, including dendrograms and matrix displays were utilized. Conclusions include the following points: Goal Setting is not prominent, but may not be critical in …

A Comparison Of Users' And Providers' Perceptions Of Critical Spacelift Vehicle Characteristics And Capabilities, Dawson S. Oslund, Mark M. Shafer

Theses and Dissertations

This study compares spacelift vehicle users' and providers' perceptions of critical spacelift vehicle characteristics and capabilities. The researchers conducted a mail survey of military, commercial, and civil spacelift vehicle users and providers to determine a criticality rating for each of the 22 characteristics and capabilities identified through a literature review. Primary results of the study indicate: (1) the three most critical characteristics and capabilities are reliability, launch cost, and resilience; (2) the three least critical characteristics and capabilities are man-rateable, reusability, and gross lift-off weight; (3) only launch cost has a significantly different mean 'criticality rating among spacelift vehicle users …

Computer Simulation Study Of The Joint Deployment Of The 23rd Wing And 82nd Airborne Division From Pope Air Force Base, John B. Prechtel, Mark S. Wingreen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis produced a model of the Army airdrop segment of the Pope AFB deployment system. The original intent was to model the entire system and simulate the simultaneous deployment of the 23rd Wing and 82nd Airborne Division; however, time constraints and incomplete data forced a reduction in scope. The study provides an excellent foundation for further research into the use of simulation to develop a generalized deployment sizing model. The airdrop segment of the system was modeled using the researcher's personal observations of the system, the expertise of personnel who work within the system, and documentation of the problems …

A Study Of Usn Aircrew Attitudes Regarding Technology's Ability To Replace The Naval Flight Officer On Typical Combat Missions Carrier Based Aircraft Are Tasked To Perform, Robert E. Britt, William J. Cain

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzed survey responses of 290 Navy pilots and Naval flight officers (NFOs) regarding their perceptions of technology's ability to replace the NFO in typical combat missions carrier-based aircraft are tasked to perform. The study is a follow-on to a similar USAF effort conducted with pilots. The objective of this study is to provide operator input to the critical crew complement issue. These missions vary significantly in complexity and in demands placed on the aircrew. The survey instrument and analysis methods were designed to detect and evaluate these differences. The USAF study concluded that-the perception of a requirement for …

Predicting Aggression Among Inpatient Adolescent Males With Mmpi Scales, Kent Hughes

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The purpose of this study was to develop a linear model of predicting aggression in inpatient adolescent males using selected MMPI clinical and special scales. The definition of aggression was measured by the number of seclusion and restraint interventions necessitated by each participant. Hospital records of 186 patients over a three year period were reviewed for MMPI data and seclusion and restraint information. Multiple regression analysis was utilized to analyze the data. A predictive equation was established including the MMPI Scale 8(Sc) in predicting number of restraint interventions. Although this equation was statistically significant at the .01 level, it was …

An Experimental Demonstration Of The Transitive Conditioned Establishing Operation With Pigeons, Rachel Nunes Da Cunha

Dissertations

Skinner (1938) dealt with motivation in terms of the operations of deprivation/satiation and aversive stimulation. Later, Keller and Schoenfeld (1950) introduced the term establishing operation to refer to such motivative variables, and Michael (1982, and in press) expanded the Keller and Schoenfeld (1950) concept to include a type of learned motivative variable not explicitly identified in the earlier treatments. The purpose of the present research is the laboratory demonstration of this form of motivation, that Michael referred to as a transitive conditioned establishing operation (CEO).

The present experiment used a treadle-key procedure similar to that of Ailing (1990), but with …

Computer-Based Fluency Training With The Terminology Of Behavior Analysis, Guillermo E. Yaber-Oltra

Dissertations

This study examined the effects of computer-based fluency training on the learning of behavior-analysis terminology. Sixty-nine undergraduates studied the definitions of half a set of behavior-analysis terms using a computer program Think Fast (Parsons, 1989), and half using their regular methods. Think Fast training items consisted of typing the words missing from definitions. On seven out of nine post-training quizzes, students were better able to define terms previously studied with the computer program. In a related experiment, volunteers studied half a new set of terms using the computer, either typing or saying the answers. Students mastered the definitions better when …

The Effects Of A Monetary Incentive System On The Performance Of Rolloff Truck Drivers, Jeanne Marie Lameie

Dissertations

Studies have shown that individuals working under individual monetary incentive conditions perform at higher rates than those working under an hourly pay condition (Farr, 1976; Frisch & Dickinson, 1990; Gaetani, Hoxeng, & Austin, 1985; George & Hopkins, 1989; London & Oldham, 1977; Nebeker & Neuberger, 1985; Orphen, 1982; Terborg & Miller, 1978; Yukl, Wexley, & Seymore, 1972). Although these studies indicate that incentive pay improves productivity, the results of two laboratory studies suggest that the portion of pay that is tied to performance is not important (Frisch & Dickinson, 1990; Gillette, 1991). In other words, once pay is linked to …

Effects Of Checklists And Feedback On Interviewer Documentation Errors, Ann Lynn Linklater

Masters Theses

A multiple baseline design was used to compare the effectiveness of checklists and feedback to improve marketing research telephone interview documentation. Three measures based on the combined errors of four interviewers were obtained: (1) errors per completed interview, (2) errors per interview with errors, and (3) most frequently occurring error in each of three error groups. The effects of three additional factors believed to affect interviewer performance were also investigated: (1) marketing research project, (2) complexity of the interview, and (3) lead worker responsible for editing completed interviews.

Only slight, mostly positive changes were visually evident across the dependent measures. …

Technical Adequacy Of The Lap-D & Dial-R Motor Scales, Mary Mcquaide

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The researcher examined the relationship between the motor scales of the Learning Accomplishment Profile-Diagnostic Revised Edition (LAP-D) and the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning-Revised (DIAL-R) motor scales. Specifically, the strength of the relationship and the consistency of identification between the motor scales of these two measures were examined. The sample consisted of 29 children ages 38-67 months selected from the LAP-D normative sample which was stratified for gender and race. Children were administered tests in random order. The study results revealed the following: 1) the LAPD and DIAL-R motor scales were significantly and positively correlated; 2) LAP-D and …

Inhibition, Distraction & The Aging Frontal Lobe, Robert West

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

lbeories in both the fields of ognstsvc aging and human neuropbychology have suggested that an impairment in the ability of an individual to inhibit irrelevant or distracting information either present in the environment or generated within the individual can ha‘ e detrimental effects on performance on a wide variety of cognitive tasks including text processing, inference formation, planning, and selective attention A number of researchers have attributed this increased distractibility in both clinical populations and health\ older individuals to a decline in or impairment of the functioning of the frontal lobes The present study extends findings suggesting a decline in …

A Test Of Bass's Model Of Transformational Leadership Among Managers In The Dominican Republic, Nancy Urbaez Echavarria

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study tested the generalizability of Bass's theory of transformational leadership to employees of a company in the Dominican Republic. A Spanish translation of Bass's Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) was used to assess the leadership styles. The factor structure for Dominican workers was not identical to the structure observed in United States samples. Nevertheless, the pattern of results followed rather closely the pattern observed in United States samples. Consistent with research conducted in the U.S., subordinates who had transformational leaders reported more satisfaction and effectiveness and greater effort and organizational innovativeness than subordinates who had transactional or laissez faire leaders. …

Dependency Autonomy Stress And Depression: A Test Of An Interactive Model, Kathryn Kern Drury

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Two diathesis-stress models were used to predict depression. The additive model combined dependency and autonomy (dependency-autonomy) as the diathesis and also combined dependent and autonomous hassles or life events as stressors. The congruent model used either dependency and dependent stressors or autonomy and autonomous stressors. Ninety-seven female and 42 male undergraduate students completed self-report measures of dependency and autonomy, hassles and life events, and depression at three testing sessions one week apart. Hierarchical multiple regressions — with prior depression entered first and followed by dependency and/or autonomy, stress, and their interaction — indicated that additive models with a significant interaction …

Intersection Decisions And Reaction Time, Orhan Earle Beckman

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Reaction time (RT) as a dependent variable can be used to assess human performance and identify variables influencing performance. Donders (reprinted in English as Donders, 1969) defined three types of reaction time (RT). Simple RT is defined as RT in a situation involving one stimulus and one response. The selective reaction time (SRT) is defined by a situation involving two or more stimuli with only one possible response. Choice reaction time (CRT) is defined by a situation with more than one stimulus category and an equal number of possible responses.

The Hick-Hyman law defines CRT as a logarithmic function of …

The Effect Of Prior Cooperation And Competition On Approaches To A Decomposed Social Dilemma, Keith M. Rettig

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The effect of cooperation and competition in a primer task upon subject's later choice of strategy in a social dilemma was examined. The effect of explicit and implicit instructions and cooperative and competitive milieu on subjects' behavior, individually and as a team, during both the primer task and the social dilemma was also examined. Male and female subjects participated in a naval simulation task under Implicit-Cooperative, Explicit-Cooperative, Implicit-Competitive, and Explicit-Competitive instructions and later participated in a prisoner's dilemma game. Simmons, Wehner, Tucker, and King's (1987) Cooperative / Competitive Strategy Scale was used as a covariate. A significant effect of instructions …

Choice Reaction Time And Conjunctions Of Form Size Color And Orientation, Cristina Bubb-Lewis

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Reaction time (RT) is frequently used as a dependent measure in studies that examine the organization of perceptual and cognitive processes. Hick's law states that RT in a choice-reaction-time (CRT) task is a linear function of the amount of information transmitted per stimulus-response event. RT has been used to try to determine whether serial or parallel processing is being employed in CRT tasks (Sternberg, 1966). There is research evidence suggesting a serial, exhaustive search process (Sternberg, 1969a; Wingfield, 1973), as well as findings which suggest parallel processing (Neisser, 1963; Neisser, Novick, and Lazar, 1963) in CRT tasks. All the experiments …

Advancing Understanding Of Knowledge's Role In Lay Risk Perception, Branden B. Johnson

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

Emphasizing how knowledge affects lay Risk perception, summarizing studies and suggesting further research, the author differentiates between knowledge production, knowledge dissemination and information processing as affected by, e.g., heuristics and Risk aversion. He also suggests that better understanding of lay knowledge can also illuminate experts' hazard knowledge.

Conflict Management Style And Burnout Of Missionaries, Richard W. Meyers

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The study examined modes of conflict resolution present in a sample of missionaries as well as relationships between modes of conflict resolution and demoqraphic characteristics. Additionally, relationships between modes of conflict resolution and burnout were investigated along with the relationships between levels of burnout and sample demographic characteristics. The instruments utilized with the sample of 150 missionaries included an individual data form, the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Management-of-Differences Instrument (the MODE), and the Staff Burnout Scale for Missionary Personnel (SBS-MP), an adaptation of the Staff Burnout Scale for Health Professionals (SBS-HP) by Jones. The conflict management mode of Avoiding was the most …

Spanish Translation And Validation Of The Daily Stress Inventory, And A Comparison Of The Level Of Stress Experienced By Three Culturally Distinct Hispanic Groups, Senez Rodriguez-Charbonier

Dissertations

High levels of stress in the general population have been found to correlate both with psychological and physical illness. The fast growing Hispanic population in the U.S. is exposed to increased levels of stress associated with a number of situations (e.g., language barriers, and socioeconomic status). There are, however, no validated stress measures applicable to the Hispanic community as a whole.

The purpose of this study was twofold: First, to translate into Spanish the Daily Stress Inventory (DSI) (Brantley & Jones, 1989) and to validate the translation by conducting a correlation study between the the Spanish and the English versions. …

Waco Tragedy Product Of Groupthink, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This opinion column employs the eight symptoms of groupthink specified by Irving Janis to evaluate whether the tragic end to the 1993 FBI siege of David Koresh’s Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas — which culminated in deaths of 76 civilians — could have been the product of groupthink.

Personnel Managers' Attitudes Towards Affirmative Action & Its Potential Correlates, Donna Dunville

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Despite the controversy surrounding Affirmative Action (AA), relatively little research has appeared about attitudes towards these programs. In this research, an exploratory approach is implemented to assess the support of personnel managers for the theory of AA as well as the mechanisms designed to carry it out. Also, the relationship to Supreme Court decisions, relevant legislation, and numerous demographic, attitudinal, and organizational variables are examined for their impact on Affirmative Action attitudes. A questionnaire was utilized to assess support for AA and its correlates. The majority of personnel managers indicate support for both AA in theory and the mechanisms required …

Training Program Content Validation: A Practical Application Of Educative Techniques, Julia A. Howard-Johnson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A McDonald’s training program for the positions of grill and counter was evaluated in order to identify recommendations for curriculum refinement or enhancements. The methodological approaches developed by Ford and Wroten (1984) and Bownas, Bosshardt, and Donnelly (1985) were applied. Three evaluation assessment inventories were developed: The Job task Inventory, The training Emphasis Inventory, and The Training Effectiveness Inventory. These inventories were constructed with the assistance of 49 managers, trainers, and employees with six or more months of service. Four managers, seven trainers, and 22 recent training graduates responded to the appropriate inventory and these ratings were used in the …

The Role Of Gender Differences In The Relationship Between Guilt- And Shame-Proneness And Depressive Symptomatology, Julie Bingham Shiffler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the role played by gender in the relationship between the degree of depressive symptomatology and levels of adaptive guilt-, maladaptive guilt-, and shame-proneness in a college population. A measure of depressive symptomatology (the Beck Depression Inventory) and a measure of guilt- and shame-proneness (the Self-Conscious Affect and Attribution Inventory - Revised) were administered to 299 college students (113 males and 186 females). Females reported higher total levels of depressive symptomatology than males. Statistically significant gender differences were found for nine BDI items. Females also had higher levels of adaptive guilt-, maladaptive guilt-, …

Modern Racism: A Cross-Cultural View Of Racial And Ethnic Attitudes, Timothy B. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The study and measurement of attitudes toward racial and ethnic groups are important parts of the field of cross-cultural psychology. The present study examined a theory of racial attitudes, that of symbolic racism, and several demographic variables. The sample population consisted of 575 Caucasians and 122 Far-East Asian college students. Results indicated that Symbolic Racism is a unique theoretical construct, that Caucasian students were less racially biased than their Asian peers, and that group differences in racial attitudes existed across religious affiliation, number of reported interracial friendships, and gender.

Organizational Culture: How Changes Impact Attitudes Toward Job Satisfaction, R. M. Browder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine how a shift in elements of organizational culture impacted attitudes toward job satisfaction in a medium-sized, consumer-owned electric utility over a period of 13 years. The unit of analysis was a municipal utility distributing electrical energy to approximately 27,000 customers. Data collection included the Science Research Associate Employee Inventory, a review of the organization's documents, and a subjective Job Satisfaction Questionnaire. A one-tailed z-test was performed to test whether or not the proportion of employees answering favorable in one survey was greater than the proportion answering favorable in the other survey. It …