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Restrained Eating : The Effects Of Privacy And Perception Of Having Overeaten On Subsequent Food Consumption, Geraldine T. Merola

Theses and Dissertations

Herman & Mack (1975) theorized that "restrained eaters," conflicted between social pressure to be thin and biological pressure to be fat, tend to alternately eat very little or a great deal, as they respond to one or the other constraint. According to restraint theory, restrained eaters' chronic dieting induces physiological and psychological states that make them highly susceptible to external disruption of eating controls. Research has shown that when led to believe they have already overeaten (i.e., when they are "preloaded"), restrained eaters will loosen restraints and "counterregulate" (i.e., binge-eat). In contrast, "unrestrained eaters" (i.e., normal eaters) will compensate by …

Benjamin Spock And The Spock Papers At Syracuse University, Robert S. Pickett

The Courier

This article gives a portrait of the controversial pediatrician and popular author Benjamin Spock, much of it gleaned from his personal papers located at Syracuse University's Special Collections. Among some of the insights into his life worth noting are his wife Jane's contributions to his personal attitudes and even his books.

Similarities Between Human And Animal Spatial Memory: Item And Order Information, Robert H.I. Dale

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Human subjects, sitting at the center of a circle of eight lights, were tested on analogues of radial-maze item-recognition (Roberts & Smythe, 1979) and order-recognition (Kesner & Novak, 1982) tasks. Subjects in the item-recognition condition saw a list of seven lights, and then the nonlist (eighth) light was tested against the first, fourth, or seventh light from the list. The sub- jects were required to point toward the non list light. Subjects in the order-recognition condition saw a series of eight lights, followed by a test of the first and second, fourth and fifth, or seventh and eighth serial positions. …

Dietary Induced Weight Gain And Recovery Of Body Weight In Mongolian Gerbils, Maryann Mccarthy

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the capacities of male and female gerbils for recovery from increased weight gain produced by ingestion of high fat food. Thirty-six gerbils, assigned to either 20% or 40% groups with nine males and nine females in each percent weight gain group, were fed powdered chow under baseline conditions, then switched to a high fat diet until they reached target weight increase, and then returned to powdered chow. The 40% group was eliminated from the comparisons due to the failure of the gerbils to reach criterion. No sex differences were found in the …

Alzheimer's Disease: The Relationship Between P300 Latency And Pet Scan Ratios, Glena Lynne Needham Schubarth Andrews

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

The P300 component of the auditory EEG event-related potential (ERP) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) were investigated in individuals considered to be early cases of probable Alzheimer's type dementia (PAD) and a control group of similar age. Two questions were investigated: (a) The degree to which P300 latency was sensitive to neurocognitive changes in very early stages of PAD; and (b) The relationship between P300 latency and specific areas of reduced neural functions as reflected in PET scans. A significant difference was found between PAD and normal subjects in P300 latencies, with those in the patient group having longer P300 …

Category Test And Wais Scores: Sex And Age Inter-Relationships, Julia Ann Shelton

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The current study investigated sex and age differences on the WAIS and Category Test in a sample of 218 persons, half male and half female, between the ages of 16 and 39. The sample was composed of well educated diabetics without neurological symptomatology and of above average intelligence.

Three types of statistical analyses were performed. The first of these were factor analyses of structural composition of WAIS and Category tests as influenced by sex. Results suggested that males and females exhibit different patterns of performance. The second analyses were regression analyses to predict Category Test performance from WAIS scores and …

Priming In A Simulated Assessment Center Environment: Can Behavioral Observation Training Overcome The Effects Of Prior Information?, Eric J. Vanetti

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Two studies were performed to investigate how behavioral observation training helps assessors handle the information processing demands of the assessment center. In Study 1, the effects of potentially biasing prior information (priming) on the behavioral observations and rating judgments of 90 untrained subjects were determined. Priming was operationalized as one of three sets of information (positive, negative or neutral) that subjects received prior to observing, and rating a designated target individual. Results showed that both the observations and ratings of untrained subjects were influenced by priming. Study 2 investigated the effects of prior information on the observations and ratings of …

The Impact Of Orientation Training On Spatial Cognition And Spatial Behavior In Elderly Shoppers, Elizabeth Ann Mathes

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study focuses on the acquisition of spatial knowledge in a large-scale, novel environment and on the interrelationships among psychometric tests of imagery, psychometric tests of spatial abilities, and experimental tasks involving spatial knowledge. Forty elderly females were provided microspatial information by four means: cartography; videotape; verbal description; and verbal description with imagery instructions. Analyses of behavior in a simulated shopping task within a suburban shop­ ping mall revealed differences in performance only for efficiency in Route Selection task. Cartographic and verbal presentations resulted in greater efficiency than did verbal description with imagery instructions or video­ tape presentations. Supplemental …

Factors Affecting The Efficacy Of Rater Training: Information Type And Mode Of Presentation, Todd A. Silverhart

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

In order to enhance the quality of performance ratings, researchers have directed their efforts towards training raters to evaluate performance more accurately. The purpose of the present study was to examine two factors that may affect the efficacy of rater training for improving the accuracy of performance ratings. One factor was the type of information that was presented during training (target score information, behavioral rationale for target scores, or a combination of target score and behavioral rationale). The second factor was the mode in which information was presented during training (feedback or feedforward). In addition to assessing the unique contribution …

The Influence Of Direct Versus Indirect Observation, Candidate Report Format, And Assessor Training On The Accuracy Of Assessor Ratings, Rudolph L. Johnson Jr.

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Within the assessment center method, assessors' preliminary evaluations of candidates' performance are typically based on information obtained through direct observation of the candidate's performance in the situational exercise, or on another assessor's report of that performance. This variation is somewhat disconcerting, however, in that its impact on assessor ratings remains largely unstudied. The primary focus of the present study was to assess the differential effects of observation type (i.e., direct observation, dimension-specific report, narrative report) on various measures of rating accuracy. In addition, the present study investigated cognitive modeling as an assessor training strategy, and its impact on rating accuracy. …

Treatment Of Spasticity Via Transcranial Electrical Stimulation In Persons With Cerebral Palsy And Severe Mental Retardation, George A. Thompson Jr.

Dissertations

Although the clinical manifestations of cerebral palsy are many and varied, spasticity is a common aspect of the disorder, observed in as many as 75% of all cases (Paneth & Kiely, 1984). A double-blind and placebo-controlled and counter balanced reversal design was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of transcranial electrical stimulation (TCS) in the treatment of spastic cerebral palsy in six severely mentally impaired individuals. Although there appeared to be some improvement from pre to post measures, a comparison of the placebo and treatment conditions yielded results indicating that transcranial electrical stimulation did not increase the passive range of motion …

The Effects Of Magnitude Of Extrinsic Reinforcement On Intrinsic Interest: An Experimental Analysis, Brian Howard Gribler

Masters Theses

The present study examined the effect that three magnitudes of extrinsic reinforcement had on wheel running following the termination of reinforcement. After an initial baseline period, three groups of rats were assigned to one of three conditions: a variable interval 60 second schedule of reinforcement, a variable time 60 second schedule of reinforcement, or a control condition. Each subject in the reinforcement groups was exposed to three different magnitudes of reinforcement. Each reinforcement phase was followed by a return to baseline. The results indicated that contingent reinforcement increased wheel running although rates were comparable for all magnitudes of reinforcement. No …

A Study Of The Relationships Between Hemispheric Asymmetries And Intellectual Abilities, Anne Mcshane

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated the functional significance of cerebral asymmetries. Width measurements of the human brain were derived from computerized tomographic (CT) films and related to intellectual variables as determined by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Revised (WAIS-R). Subjects were adults of both sexes who had been referred for neurologic examination and were diagnosed as having no abnormalities (N=28). Reasons for referral included headache, dizziness, or to rule out central nervous system damage following various types of trauma. The asymmetry of hemispheric widths (left minus right) in the frontal, temporoparietal, and occipital areas was correlated with Verbal IQ minus Performance IQ …

The Effect Of An Early Sensorimotor Intervention Program On The Development Of Infants With Perinatal Intraventricular Hemorrhage, Janet Millard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Our current ability to identify and appropriately treat infants who are at risk for developing various handicapping conditions is limited. Thus, research aimed at developing early diagnostic techniques and differential intervention programs for infants at risk for handicaps needs further attention. The purpose of this study was to determine if infants who suffered perinatal intraventricular hemorrhage and who received routine medical care plus sensorimotor intervention between 3 and 12 months of age, differed from similar infants who received only routine medical care.

Twenty-four subjects (10 experimental and 14 control) who were patients in neonatal intensive care at University of Utah …

The Relative Susceptibilities Of Interresponse Times And Post-Reinforcement Pauses To Differential Reinforcement, Nancy L. Trapp

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Post-reinforcement pauses (PRP) and interresponse times (IRTs) were examined to determine if these two temporal units changed in a similar fashion as a function of the delivery of differential reinforcement. Two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, four pigeons were exposed to a series of procedures in which PRP and IRT durations were gradually increased and then decreased. A fixed-ratio two (FR 2) differentiation schedule was used. Reinforcement was delivered if the PRP or IRT durations were greater than (PRP > and IRT > procedures) or less than (PRP < and IRT < procedures) specified temporal criteria. Criteria were gradually changed across procedures. Results showed that PRPs and IRTs changed in accordance with the differential reinforcement as specified by the various contingencies. When PRPs and IRTs were free to vary, the PRPs tended to change in a direction consistent with the IRT shaping contingencys whereas, the IRTs tended to shorten regardless of the PRP shaping contingency. In Experiment 2, two subjects were exposed to both an FR 2 and FR 1 schedule to determine if schedule size influenced the effects obtained on the differentiation procedures. PRPs were systematically changed using a differentiation procedure with a response requirement of either FR 1 or FR 2. Results showed similar changes in PRP durations between FR 1 and FR 2 differentiation procedures. An analysis of errors made on each shaping condition in both experiments was conducted to determine whether PRPs or IRTs were more susceptible to the differential reinforcement contingencies. Fewer errors were made on the PRP shaping conditions, indicating that PRPs were more easily changed. Implications for a comprehensive theory of reinforcement were discussed.

Multiple-Stimulus Discrimination And Stimulus Overselectivity With Preschool Children, Maria C. Quintero

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Stimulus overselectivity is said to occur when behavior is under the control of a restricted set of stimuli from a stimulus complex. Three studies investigated the effects of specific multiple-stimulus training histories upon the overselective responding of normal preschool children.

In Experiment 1, eight children 3 to 5 years of age, were trained to discriminate forms presented on cards. Each form was labelled with a nonsense syllable, and each card (multiple stimulus) consisted of two forms. A time-delay training procedure was used. Four subjects were trained using Concurrent training in which two of the three S- response choices contained components …

Investigation Of Patient Anxiety, Patient Satisfaction, And Dental Student Behaviors, Mary Kathryn Morris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study examined the effect of information about patient's dental anxiety on patient satisfaction, patient discomfort, and patients' perceptions of dental student behaviors. The validity of patients' perceptions was examined by independent observation of dental student behaviors on videotaped dental screening visits.

Thirty dental students each examined two dentally anxious female patients. Each student received information about one of the patient' s dental anxiety and no information about the other. The order of presentation of the conditions information and no information was counterbalanced. The dependent measures were the Dentist Behavior Checklist, the Dental Visit Satisfaction Scale, the Patient Discomfort …

Verbal Interactions Among Elementary Students With The Jigsaw Ii Learning Method, Katherine Gilbert

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The cooperative learning method, Jigsaw II, was implemented in a grade four social studies class for the purpose of examining the verbal interactions among students as they learned from each other. Jigsaw II is structured to enhance cooperation because each student has exclusive information that is needed by other group members to do well on a test. It was hypothesized that the more capable students in a heterogeneous learning group would help the less capable ones learn the material. As the lower ability students gained proficiency in teaching their information, the variance in the rates of speaking would be less …

An Investigation Of The Five-Term Contingency And The Conditional Control Of Equivalence Relations, Richard W. Serna

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the study of human operant behavior. One area of study reflecting this interest is the study of the formation of equivalent classes of stimuli by human subjects. The focus of the present research was the study of the conditions under which classes of equivalent stimuli can be inferred to be under conditional control.

In Experiment 1-A, three college students were trained to respond to a balanced five-term contingency via a visual-visual simultaneous matching-to-sample task with two choices of comparison stimuli. Probe tests showed that subjects' behavior could be described as …

Academic Achievement Of Bereaved Children: Comparison With A Nonbereaved Population, Rebecca W. Valcarce

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to study the effects of bereavement on the academic achievement of secondary school students who had lost a parent through death by comparing them with students attending the same schools but who were living with both natural parents. The subjects in both groups were matched on pretest scores and demographic characteristics at the beginning of the study. Achievement posttest scores and overall high school grade point averages of both groups were compared using ANCOVA and multiple regression analyses. None of the analyses were found to be statistically significant, implying that academic achievement is not …

Using Music In Teaching Social Skills To Mentally Retarded Subjects, Tamara Barron-Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which Melodies to Assist Social Interaction (MASI) would affect the social skills performance of the educable mentally retarded.

The study employed a pretest-posttest control group design with an N of 27 mentally-retarded subjects. It also employed a one-group pretest-posttest design with an N of 8 non-mentally retarded subjects.

All of the subjects received a pre- and post-score for their social skills performance level. Nineteen of the mentally-retarded subjects and all eight non-mentally retarded subjects received the MASI social skills teaching program as part of their regular curriculum.

The pre- …

Differential Response Latencies Using Auditory Stimuli, Albert Edward Neal

Dissertations

Previous research has identified and isolated the elicited (autoshaped) control of pigeons' response latencies. The present research, using auditory frequencies as discriminative stimuli, was designed to eliminate the intrusion of this elicited control.

Two experiments are presented, both using a discrete-trial, two-component multiple schedule. In Experiment 1, in which a two-key arrangement was used, pigeons were required to peck a continuously-illuminated left key when one of two different frequencies, each correlated with a different amount of reinforcement, was presented behind the illuminated right key. In Experiment 2, in which a three-key arrangement was used, pigeons were required to peck either …

Responding Under Homogeneous Versus Heterogeneous Chained Variable-Interval Schedules, Stephen P. Starin

Masters Theses

Four pigeons responded under chained variable-interval schedules in which the required response topographies were either similar [i.e., a homogeneous chain] or dissimilar Ci.e., a heterogeneous chain]. Subjects were exposed to all possible combinations of initial-link key pecking or treadle pressing and terminal-link pecking or treadling. Three of four subjects displayed higher initial-link response rates under the homogeneous chains. The present results were explained in terms of an induction effect in which the strengthening effect of reinforcing a particular terminal-link response topagrapahy generalizes to similar responses earlier in the chain, but not to topographically different responses.

The Effects Of Task Difficulty On Pupil Diameter In A Choice Reaction Time Task, Coleen Thornton

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The effects of task difficulty on pupil diameter in a choice reaction time (CRT) task were investigated. Pupil diameter data were collected from 24 subjects using the NASA Langley Research Center oculometer system. Task difficulty was defined by the number of paired stimulus-response alternatives and stimulus-response compatibility. A unique S-R ensemble which required an oculometeric (eye-movement) response and graphic symbols as stimuli was employed in the CRT task. The procedures used replicated Hick's Law for the first time on an oculometer. The S-R compatibility effect was not found to influence this linear trend. The results indicated that pupil diameters for …

Sins Of The Fathers And Mothers: Relationships Between Parental History Variables And Adult Mmpi Profiles, Kathryn E. Dawson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Self-report data on parental history variables--child abuse, father and mother alcoholism, parental mental illness, and father's level of education--were gathered from 469 male and female inpatients at the Florida Mental Health Institute in Tampa, Florida. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was administered within the first 72 hours of admission.

Discriminant function analyses with step-down procedures were performed to determine the effectiveness of the MMPI profiles in discriminating between parental history groups. Each gender was run separately. When comparing patients with no pathological parent history to groups reporting at least one, the chi square was found to be significant for …

Bilateral Eda Measurement Of Females During Simple And Complex Listening Tasks, Rory Craig Montero

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study sought to measure hemispheric response to positive, negative and neutral stimuli using a dichotic listening paradigm. Subjects were required to attend to either their right or left ear to enhance any potential hemispheric asymmetry that might occur during emotional processing. Measurement of bilateral EDA was conducted while subjects were presented positive, negative and neutral stimuli both dichotically and binaurally. Twelve subjects met the research criteria and their responses were used in the analyses. A 2x2x2x2x5 mixed model ANOVA was conducted. Significant main effects for Trial, Ear Attention and Stimuli were found as well as a significant interaction …

Learned Helplessness And Masculinity In Women: Performance Effects And Attributions About Success And Failure, Sherry B. Rabinowitz

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study attempted to examine the relationships among learned helplessness, masculinity, and attributions about success and failure. The Bern Sex Role Inventory was used to generate a masculinity score for 120 college women. Learned helplessness was induced by exposure to problems that had no solution. Subjects in the experimental conditions were asked to solve one, two, or three different types of problems, seventy-five percent of which were unsolvable. Subjects in the control condition were given three types of solvable problems. After each set of tasks, subjects completed an attributional questionnaire and were asked to rate how well they perceived …

Driver Response To Simulated Intersections: An Analysis Of Workload-Related Variables, Monty G. Grubb

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

A roadway intersection driving simulation was created to investigate driver information processing at intersections. Research participants were provided a visual simulation of approaching intersections using a video display with a 120 degree visual field. Six groups, each containing 12 subjects, were formed according to age and gender, with age ranging from 18 to 74 years. All participants viewed 14 separate intersections, which varied according to types of traffic control signs and signals. Individual workload was assessed in three categories of response: performance, subjective, and physiological. A MANOVA was performed on six dependent variables in the 3 (age) by 2 (gender) …

A Study-Support Program For High-Risk, Black College Freshman Enrolled In A General Psychology Course, Angela Michelle Williams

Masters Theses

As a replication of Jackson's (1984) work, this research compared the performance of three groups of college freshmen. The groups consisted of black, high-risk students who voluntarily enrolled in a study-support group because of their initial quiz scores. The support program required the students to study each week's psychology objectives in four smaller segments, rather than studying all the week's material at once. The assumption was that this would increase the students' contact with the study material and improve their performances. An ABA design was used. The participants in the support program received higher quiz scores and final grades than …

Silencing In Public Schools, Michelle Fine

Publications and Research

Demands for silencing signify a terror of words, a fear of talk. This essay examines these demands as they echoed through a comprehensive public high school in New York City. The silencing resounded in words and in their absence; the demands emanated from the New York City Board of Education, book publishers, corporate sponsors, religious institutions, administrators, teachers, parents, and students. In the odd study of what's not said in public schools, one must be curious about whom silencing protects, but vigilant about how silencing students and their communities undermines fundamentally the vision of education as empowerment (Freire 1985; Shor …