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The Cult Of Empiricism In Psychology, And Beyond, Stephen Toulmin, David E. Leary

Psychology Faculty Publications

At some stage in it's development, any field of intellectual discussion or scientific speculation may reach a point at which it begins to generate large numbers of "empirical" questions, that is, questions whose answers must refer to carefully documented observations, or even to controlled experiments. In physics, this happened most strikingly in the course of the seventeenth century; in biology, the comparable stage was not reached until around 1770, rising to its peak in the course of the nineteenth century (Toulmin, 1972; Toulmin & Goodfield, 1962); whereas in psychology, it has become customary-though a trifle arbitrary-to argue that this happened …

Discordant Twins: Personality And Cognitive Development, Cynthia Schroeder

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Standard Mmpi And Mmpi-168 Scores In A Non-Psychiatric Population, Ramon Verdaguer

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Cognitive Interdependence In Close Relationships, Daniel M. Wegner, T. Giuliano, Paula T. Hertel

Psychology Faculty Research

This chapter is concerned with the thinking processes of the intimate dyad. So, although we will focus from time to time on the thinking processes of the individual-as they influence and are influenced by the relationship with another person-our prime interest is in thinking as it occurs at the dyadic level. This may be dangerous territory for inquiry. After all, this topic resembles one that has, for many years now, represented something of a "black hole" in the social sciences-the study of the group mind. For good reasons, the early practice of drawing an analogy between the mind of the …

The Outcomes Of Hospitalized And Incarcerated Sex Offenders: A Study Of Offender Types, Recidivism Rates, And Identifying Characteristics Of The Repeat Offender, Francine R. Rattenbury

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Effective Group Meetings And Decision Making, Donelson R. Forsyth

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

An extraordinary amount of work and many types of decisions are handled by groups of people, for in group meetings we can pool our knowledge and abilities, give each other feedback about our ideas, and tackle problems that would overcome us if we faced them alone. Group members not only give us emotional and social support when meeting together, but they can stimulate us to become more creative, more insightful, and more committed to our goals.

Not every group, however, realizes all these positive consequences. Often we dread going to "committee meetings," "council sessions," and "discussion groups" because they take …

Mood-Congruent Retrieval And Circumplexity Between Emotions In Early Childhood Memories, Robert C. Casas

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Alternate Models Of Wisc-R Psychodiagnostics, Edward D. Rossini

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Memory For Frequency Of Hearing Popular Music: An Investigation Of An Automatic Processing Theory, James Robert Fidler

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Racial And Gender Differences In Self-Efficacy Among Black And White Urban College Students, Sidney C. St. Leger

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Factor Analysis Of Nursing Role Conceptions Of Three Groups, Sarah E. Brotherton

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Parent Data In Measuring The Outcome Of Child Psychotherapy, Barry Richard Lindstrom

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Of Gender And Personality To Fantasy Patterns, Eileen F. Bernat

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effectiveness Of Perinatal Behavioral Assessments In Predicting Preschool Intelligence, James S. Gyurke

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Teachers And Stress: An Investigation Of Stressors, Strain, And Methods Of Coping, Kerry Smith-Bandy

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Individual Differences In Lateralization Of Cognitive Processes: Type I And Type Ii Processors, Walter Berry Branch

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

Recent research indicates that the two hemispheres of the human brain serve different functions when processing visual information. Specifically the left hemisphere, for most individuals, is specialized for an analytic or sequential type of processing and the right hemisphere is specialized for a holistic or gestalt type of processing. However this dichotomy is not always found, and it is hypothesized that individual subject differences may partially account for the somewhat inconsistent results in the research literature. The present study attempts to examine the effect of one individual difference dimension upon process lateralization . Subjects were classified into two types, Type …

Effects Of Deprivation And Smoking On Smokers’ Performance And Mood During The Operation Of A Complex Computer Simulation, Gregory Howarth Cutler

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Past research has shown that smoking attenuates stress and reduces emotional behavior in smokers. Smoking also generally leads to the facilitation of performance on a variety of tasks. Deprivation of smoking has consistently produced performance and mood decrements. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the effects of three hours of deprivation and smoking on performance and mood in smokers while operating a complex computer simulation. The following hypotheses were constructed: (a) Nondeprived smokers who smoke nicotine cigarettes will show superior subjective and objective performance, will rate the stimulation as less difficult and stressful, and will possess higher self-efficacy …

The Comparative Effectiveness Of A Science Anxiety Group And A Stress Management Program In The Treatment Of Science Anxious College Students, Joseph G. Hermes

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Mood And Behavior Changes During The Menstrual Cycle In Depressed And Nondepressed Women: An Unaware Study, Marlys Ann Conrad

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Attrition In Applied Social Research: A Methodological Study, David William Rivers

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Eating Disorder Continuum: A Comparison Of Depression And Personality Organization In Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, And Weight Preoccupation, Elizabeth Anne Pfaelzer-Smith

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Sociopolitical Orientation And Self-Presentation In The Measurement Of Moral Judgement, Jeffrey M. Kunka

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Assigned, Conflicting Goals On Task Performance, Daniel P. Whitenak

Student Work

Previous research has strongly supported Locke's theory of goal-setting: given specific, difficult, accepted goals with proper feedback, individual performance w ill improve relative to others not given a goal. A possible exception to this theory might be the setting of goals that conflict or require widely different strategies for task completion. The present study employed a 2 x 2 factorial design (presence/absence of a quantity and a quality goal) to investigate the impact of conflicting goals on task performance. Results showed that assigned, conflicting goals do not provide an exception to the goal-setting/performance relationship since significan t main effects were …

A Performance Audit Of A Graduate Training Program, Maria Emma Garcia

Masters Theses

The present study consists of a performance audit of a graduate training program. The performance audit is an engineering model created by Gilbert (1978) to design, analyze, and evaluate organizations. This performance audit was applied to the Behavioral Systems Analysis Program (BSAP), a graduate training program of the Psychology Department at Western Michigan University. The mission of BSAP consists of training behavioral systems analysts to effectively create or improve systems that benefit humanity.

This study had two objectives: first, the identification of the areas of BSAP with greatest potential for improvement and the identification causes of their deficiencies; second, to …

Effects Of The Center For The Self-Management Of Academic Performance On High Risk Students, Connie J. Wittkopp

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a behavioral package designed to help keep high risk students in school. Thirty-four undergraduate students on academic probation were referred to the Center for the Self-Management of Academic Performance by the College of Arts and Sciences. These students were divided into two groups: an experimental group which consisted of 21 students and a control group which consisted of 13 students. Members of the experimental group were exposed to a treatment package which included behavioral contracting, lectures, and mandatory attendance at a study center; members of the control group …

Life History Patterns And The Comparative Social Ecology Of Carnivores, Marc Bekoff, Thomas J. Daniels, John L. Gittleman

Ethology Collection

No abstract provided.

Age Tracking Performance And The Measurement Of Workload By A Secondary Tasks, Manuel Francisco Diaz

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate age differences in tracking performance and in the amount of workload imposed by the tracking task. Twelve subjects between the ages of 18 and 22, and 12 subjects between the ages of 48 and 67 performed a serial, choice-reaction-time task alone and concurrently with a pursuit rotor tracking task. The choice reaction time task served as the secondary task and the pursuit rotor tracking task as the primary task. Primary task performance was measured by time on target and number of tracking errors, and the secondary task by choice reaction time and …

Steven Zuckerman's Review Of Melford E. Spiro's Oedipus In The Trobriands, Steven Zuckerman

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Prescriptive Contracting: Utilization Of Self-Monitoring And Contracting In A Study Improvement Program, Raymond L. Boettger

Masters Theses

Several factors in program design and concurrent research of study programs for academically at-risk students have been noted in reviewing the literature. Two of the most effective techniques are self-monitoring and contracting. While many of the programs based on these procedures have shown significant increases in rates of study behavior, few have reported actual academic gains. Those that have predominately used simple difference of means tests to show significance. A major drawback to many of the study improvement programs is that they require additional expense to be implemented and maintained.

Prescriptive Contracting in an Individualized Guided Study center was designed …

Use Of Contingency Contracting For The Generalization Of Social Skills Of Emotionally Impaired Students, Michelle M. Kapp

Masters Theses

The present study investigated the effects of contingency or behavioral contracting on the generalization of emitting polite words. Generalization as a result of social skills training was compared to generalization as a result of contracting. The subjects were three elementary students identified as emotionally impaired. The experimental design was a combination reversal and multiple baseline across subjects. The results of the study supported the hypothesis that contracting would be more effective than the social skills training in initiating generalization of emitting polite words. It was suggested that additional research be conducted to investigate the long term effects of contracting on …