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Ua35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin, Wku Honors Program

WKU Administration Documents

The WKU Student Honors Research Bulletin is dedicated to scholarly involvement and student research. These papers are representative of work done by students from throughout the university.

• Allen, Melody. Women in Control of Courtship in As You Like It, The Merchant of Venice and All's Well That Ends Well
• Amlani, Islamshah. Electron Stimulated Desorption of Alkali Halides
• Brillhart, Kelly. Women Without Men: Hemingway's Female Characters
• Burton, Lori. Financial Statements with Environmental Concerns: An Exploratory Study of the Impact on the Auditor's Role and Responsibilities
• Combs, Vicki. Dancing the Descent: Energy and Entrophy in William Carlos Williams
• Davis, Julie. Prelude to …

Distinguishing Between Animates And Inanimates: Not By Motion Alone, R. Gelman, Frank H. Durgin, L. Kaufman

Psychology Faculty Works

Martin E. P. Seligman, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, is one of the world's leading authorities on learned helplessness and its relation to optimism and hope. This collection brings together eminent psychologists and professionals whose work has been greatly influenced by Seligman's innovative work.

Factors Associated With Underachievement In Eighth-Grade Children, Barbara A. Moore

Masters Theses

This study investigated characteristics of underachieving adolescents. The Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS; Hieronymous, et al., 1990) and grade point averages provided the basis for selection of 83 eighth grade students into achiever and underachiever groups. Results indicated that underachievement was significantly related to males, number of absences, and number of discipline referrals, but not to race and notice of special education records. Overall self-esteem, as measured by the Self-Esteem Index (SEI; Brown & Alexander, 1991), and the subscale measure of perceptions of weak academic competence were positively related to level of underachievement/overachievement. Composite measure of behavioral/emotional problems, as …

A Brief Discussion Of The History, Role, And Function Of The School Psychologist In The Former Soviet Union And Russia, Todd W. Knutson

Masters Theses

School psychology in the former Soviet Union and Russia had its beginnings as the field of Pedology which thrived in the early 1900s in Europe and in the former Soviet Union. School psychological services, in Western psychometric sense, have been virtually dormant since Pedology's downfall following ideological conflicts with Communist leaders in 1936 when standardized testing was banned in the U.S.S.R. This paper sketches a brief history of school psychology in the former Soviet Union and Russia, outlines the educational system, reviews the Soviet research on mental retardation, and calls for the sharing of general information related to international school …

Personality Traits And The Extent To Which They Are Valued By Practicing Physical Therapists In The General Hospital Setting, Shiela M. Robison, Rachel K. Seppanen

Masters Theses

This descriptive study seeks to identify the value placed on personality traits by physical therapists and to develop a personality trait profile indicating what is desired of physical therapists in the general hospital setting. Five hundred surveys were sent to the physical therapy (PT) directors of a nationwide sample of randomly selected hospitals accredited by the American Hospital Association with greater than 75, but less than 150 beds. Two hundred and ninety-four surveys (59%) were returned. Survey responses were coded and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The data was analyzed by using the descriptive measures …

The Influence Of Emotion On Temporal Perspectives, Skye Mims Ochsner

Master's Theses

Recent research suggests that our understanding of the abstract domain of time is dependent on the more concrete domain of space. At once time is measurable and abstract, thus we often think of it both temporally as well as spatially. Boroditsky and Ramscar (2002) find that the spatial domain influences whether people see themselves as moving through time (ego-moving perspective) or as time moving towards them (timemoving perspective). Might there be other factors at work influencing these perspectives other than just representations of spatial experience? The current studies investigate the role that emotion plays in construal of time. Specifically, do …

A Possible Age-Related Neurological Mechanism In The Formation Of Problem-Solving Set, Catherine J. Blair '95

Honors Projects

Problem-solving set is the ability to focus on one successful solution and to screen out other (non) successful solutions. One problem-solving set study by Ransopher and Thompson (1991) showed no main effect or marked difference of responses with age. However, these results are not surprising because the research design perhaps facilitated responses. Two outcomes were thought possible for this particular study. The inhibition-deficit view (Hasher and Zachs, 1988) suggests that older people may be less susceptible to the effects of problem-solving set because they would be less likely to be focused on just one solution set. Dempster (1992) suggests that …

A Study Of Gender-Role Attitudes Among Contemporary White And African American Couples, Margaret Cecile Dust

Dissertations

Problem. Limited and conflictual studies have been completed on White and African American marriages and gender-roles. As a result, this study sought to compare perceptions of gender-roles in White and African American married couples. In addition, this study looked at relationships between gender-roles, length of marriage, and level of education in White and African American married couples.

Method. A total of 92 couples (26 African American, 33 White interacting married, 33 White non-interacting defacto) participated in this study. The defacto couples served as a control group.

The Bem Sex-Role Inventory, Masculine-Feminine Sex-Roles Survey, and a demographics sheet were given to …

Relationship Of Perceived Social Support To Readmission Of The Congestive Heart Failure Patient, Margaret A. Guthaus

Masters Theses

This study examined the relationship between perceived social support and the time between hospital admissions for congestive heart failure (CHF) patients based on Lazarus' Stress and Coping Theory. A descriptive correlational design was used with a convenience sample of 40 inpatients aged 33-100 at a mid-western hospital. The Personal Resource Questionnaire was used to measure social support.; Data indicated that 50% of the sample were readmitted within 90 days of discharge. However, the hypothesized positive relationship between perceived social support and the number of days between admissions was not supported. Subjects' age was related to time between admissions(r =.33, df …

Self And (M)Other In Patrick White's Fiction : An Object Relations Approach, Mary C. Lloyd Da Silva

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis offers a new interpretation of Patrick White's novels, using Object Relations psychology. Object Relations psychology differs from Freudian psychology in that it shifts the focus of attention from notions of the Oedipal conflict and repression to issues of nurturing and relationships. This study charts the development of the Whitean protagonist across a selection of novels. The focus of my thesis is White's developing protagonist, and no attempt is made to offer a psychological profile of Patrick White himself. The thesis first surveys a representative sampling of existing critical material. It then defines the theoretical framework of the study …

A Meta-Analytic Review Of Self-Esteem And Self-Concept Interventions: Implications For School-Based Interventions, Margaret Haney

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Teachers' Role In The Development Of Children's Metamemory And Strategy Knowledge: A Cross-Cultural Comparison Of American And Singaporean Elementary School Teachers, Sony Hoe

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Gender And Leadership: Men And Women's Stories, Barbara A. Karanian

Educational Studies Dissertations

This study investigates gender and leadership.

Center For Psychological Studies 1995-1996 Catalog, Nova Southeastern University

College of Psychological Services / College of Psychology Postgraduate Student and Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Comparing Traditional Statistical Models With Neural Network Models: The Case Of The Relation Of Human Performance Factors To The Outcomes Of Military Combat, William Oliver Hedgepeth

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Statistics and neural networks are analytical methods used to learn about observed experience. Both the statistician and neural network researcher develop and analyze data sets, draw relevant conclusions, and validate the conclusions. They also share in the challenge of creating accurate predictions of future events with noisy data.

Both analytical methods are investigated. This is accomplished by examining the veridicality of both with real system data. The real system used in this project is a database of 400 years of historical military combat. The relationships among the variables represented in this database are recognized as being hypercomplex and nonlinear.

The …

Structuring Skinner: Argument, Structure, And Metaphor In Verbal Behavior, Patrick Hamilton

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

Skinner’s purpose in Verbal Behavior is to make the study of behavior a science and thus to eliminate argument, rhetoric, and metaphor. But clearly Skinner has not completely eliminated argument, rhetoric, and metaphor from his study. This discussion of Skinner’s work demonstrates that these rhetorical and persuasive ways are tied into his "scientific" investigation of language and verbal behavior, and in many ways, it is these very methods that allow Skinner to create and describe his conception of verbal behavior, even as he claims to be eliminating and avoiding the use of these techniques. This analysis of Skinner's Verbal Behavior …

The Identification Of Individuals With Disabilities In National Databases: Creating A Failure To Communicate, Kevin S. Mcgrew, Bob Algozzine, James E. Ysseldyke, Martha L. Thurlow, Amy N. Spiegel

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to analyze similarities and differences in how students with disabilities are identified in national databases. National data collection programs in the United States Departments of Education, Commerce, Labor, Justice, and Health and Human Services, as well as databases from the National Science Foundation, the American Council of Education, and the College Board, were examined. Nineteen national data collection programs were selected as being potentially useful in the extraction of policy-relevant information on the educational status and performance of students with disabilities. Among these 19 programs there was significant variability in the disability categories used. …

Front Matter

Modern Psychological Studies

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Sodium Salicylate On Sexual Arousal In Adult Male Mice (Mus Domesticus), Andrew S. Manos

Modern Psychological Studies

Adult male rats produce 22-kHz vocalizations when exposed to a female conspecific. These ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) are a measure of the male's level of sexual arousal. Previous studies have shown that antipyretic drugs diminish the amount of USV made by male rats. Male mice also emit USV (70- kHz) indicative of sexual arousal. In this study, the effects of sodium salicylate, an antipyretic drug, were examined to see if USV were diminished in mice. Fifteen male adult mice were tested in a Treatment (Saline vs. Sodium Salicylate) x Dose (High vs. Low) design, with repeated measures across the treatments. Vocalizations …

The Bilateral Field Advantage On Verbal And Nonverbal Matching Tasks, Jennifer Reyburn

Modern Psychological Studies

Three experiments examined the bilateral field advantage (BFA) on both verbal and nonverbal matching tasks. The goal of the experiments was to determine which conditions would maximize the size and reliability of the BFA, and thus enhance its value as a possible diagnostic tool to assess callosal dysfunction. In Experiment 1, 27 right-handed college students performed two matching tasks (order of tasks varied across subjects; dots-letters, letters-dots, or letter and dot trials randomly interleaved). Results revealed a verbal BFA in all task order conditions (p<.01), but a significant nonverbal BFA only in the interleaved condition (p<.01). Experiments 2 and 3 reproduced the interleaved condition with different parameters. In both experiments the verbal BFA was significant (p<.01), but nonverbal BFA was significant only when four-dot patterns were used (p<.05). Results suggest the interleaved presentation of verbal and nonverbal stimuli is a reliable method of measuring the BFA.

An Overview Of Parallel Distributed Processing, Jonathan P. Heyl

Modern Psychological Studies

Parallel Distributed Processing (PDP), or Connectionism, is a frontier cognitive theory that is currently garnering considerable attention from a variety of fields. Briefly summarized herein are the theoretical foundations of the theory, the key elements observed in creating simulation computer programs, examples of its applications, and some comparisons with other models of cognition. A majority of the information is culled from Rumelhart and McClelland's (1986) two volume introduction to the theory, while some concerns from the field and the theorists' accompanying responses are taken from a 1990 article by Hanson and Burr.

Pluralistic Ignorance Concerning Alcohol Usage Among Recent High School Graduates, Jill S. Braddock, Tonia R. Wolf

Modern Psychological Studies

Recent high school graduates in a midwestern community estimated their classmates' attitudes toward alcohol use in contrast to their own positions. Attitudes were assessed on three levels: subjective comfort with others' drinking, approval of peer drinking and actual drinking practices. Pluralistic ignorance was found to be a significant factor at all three levels, p < .0005. Respondents reported that they were less comfortable, less approving, and drank less than close friends, lesser still than friends, and far less than peers. These findings provide support for "normative education" prevention programs that attempt to correct erroneous perceptions about alcohol use and abuse.

Attachment And First Sexual Experience, Chrystal Goings-Vogelsang

Modern Psychological Studies

This investigation examined the relationship between first sexual experience and attachment tendencies. Subjects' first sexual experiences were examined as a function of Bartholomew's four attachment categories: secure, fearful, preoccupied, and dismissing (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). It was hypothesized that if a person's first sexual experience was negative, then he or she would score significantly lower on the secure attachment subscale. Results indicated (a) that college females who had a fearful attachment style were more likely to report that their first sexual partner pressured them into sex, b) that college females who were more dismissing in their attachment style were less …

Memory For Frequency Of Complex Sounds, Jennifer R. Lewis

Modern Psychological Studies

This study examined whether different testing conditions hamper or enhance the ability to remember frequency of events. Subjects were presented a series of computerized sounds during the acquisition phase and estimated during the testing phase how many times they had heard each sound. Subjects were placed into one of four conditions: (a) no labeling, subjects simply listened to the stimuli; (b) labeling, subjects devised a description for each sound; (c) continuous distractor, subjects performed a simple mathematical task for the entire acquisition periods; and (d) intermittent distractor, subjects performed the mathematical task between the sounding of stimuli. Results indicated that …

Spontaneous Alternating Behavior, Attention, And Exploration: The Effects Of Colchicine Lesions In The Rat Hippocaompal Formation, David E. Wagoner Jr., Zhenique M. Israelian

Modern Psychological Studies

This study investigated perseverative behavior, attention, and exploratory behaviors via discrete lesions of the rat hippocampal formation. It was hypothesized that lesions which interrupted input to the hippocampus and output to cortical and subcortical regions would induce these behaviors. Forty-four male Long-Evan rats were randomly divided into four treatment groups: cerebral spinal fluid, and three colchicine lesioned groups, 10-COL, 15-COL, and 25-COL. The animals were compared based upon performance in a standard Tmaze to test perseveration. Behaviors were also observed in an activity chamber to measure locomotion, attention, and exploration. Animals in the 25-COL group demonstrated a significant increase in …

Memory Decrement And Proactive Interference, William J. Thornton, Bennett L. Schwartz

Modern Psychological Studies

We hypothesized that subjective expectations were responsible for the release from proactive interference (PI) rather than the actual change in taxonomic subcategories. The experimental conditions included informing or not informing subjects of the change in taxonomic subcategory, crossed with whether the taxonomic subcategory was actually changed or remained unchanged. The interest in whether a release would be seen when the subjects were informed of a change, yet no change was actually administered, was most specific. Significantly higher recall was found for the condition in which subjects were informed of a change, but no actual change occured (I-NC) than in the …

Explanatory Style And Perception Of Negative And Positive Daily Events, Amy K. Jester

Masters Theses

This study investigated explanatory style and people's perceptions of negative and positive daily events. Explanatory style can be measured by rating causal explanations that people give on three dimensions; internality, stability, and globality. College students wrote stories in response to pictures, using the Thematic Apperceptive Test (TAT), and also completed a 28-day Daily Event Log Questionnaire. It was expected that how people explain good and bad events that happen to them, would be the same whether someone was explaining a personal daily event or explaining a story written in response to a picture. To prove this, it was expected that …

The Effect Of Depression On A Lexical Decision Task, Elizabeth A. Richtfort

Masters Theses

Sixteen depressed and sixteen non-depressed college aged participants completed a lexical decision task containing cognitive triad word - negative word pairs, cognitive triad word - positive word pairs, cognitive triad word - nonword pairs, categorically related pairs, neutral word - neutral word pairs, and neutral word - nonword pairs. Following the lexical decision task, the participants performed a surprise recall task. The depressed participants were expected to recognize the negative words as words more quickly than the positive words and recall a higher percentage of negative words than positive words. These results were not found. All participants responded to the …

A Cross-Cultural Study Of Moral Developmental Theory: The Influence Of Collectivism On Moral Reasoning Of Asian Students And Caucasian American Students, Chang-Ho Clyde Ji

Dissertations

Problem Statement. Lawrence Kohlberg's stage model of moral development has attracted agreat deal of attention from educators and psychologists. Not surprisingly, his work has also inspired considerable criticism and revisionism. A number of authors have argued that Kohlberg's theory does not incorporate the collectivistic moral reasoning that emphasizes human relationships among individuals, families, the community, and society in general.

Methodology. Analyses of variance, t-test, correlational analyses, and regression analyses were performed to investigate the relationship between ethnicity, moral reasoning, and collectivism using the Defining Issues Test (DIT) and the Individualism-Collectivism (INDCOL) Scale. These scales were administered to 179 Asian students …

Psychological Climate And Organizational Commitment, Michael C. Helford

Dissertations

No abstract provided.