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The Interrupted Task Paradigm: Age And Observer-Performer Differences, Laurie E. Davidson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Previous research has indicated a developmental tendency toward greater repetition choice and recall of interrupted tasks than for completed tasks. The present study investigated this relationship and the possibility that observing versus performing a task might have differential effects on recall and repetition choice. Thirteen ten year old and eleven year old boys (performers) individually assembled eighteen jig-saw puzzles of birds and animals. Twenty-four peers of the same age (observers) observers puzzle assembly. Contrary to previous research, no significant tendency was found for older participants to recall and to choose to repeat more interrupted tasks than for younger participants. However, …

Factors Affecting The Reporting Of Suspected Child Abuse, Sandra Shane-Dubow

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Machiavellianism, Perspective Taking, And Partner's Response As Predictors Of Interpersonal Behavior Measured By A Modified Prisoner's Dilemma Game, Willaim Bryant

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Patterns Of Error In College Students Resulting From Semantic Generalization On Two Measures Of Word Association, Helen Appleton

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Age Trends In Children's Responses To Inconsistent Messages And Their Relationship To Intellectual Level And Social Competence, Frank Lani

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Attitudes Concerning Fire Preparedness In A Midwestern City: A Survey And Reverse Records Check, Michael A. Mcdaniel

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Race As A Dimension In Children's Tv Advertising: The Need For More Research, Thomas E. Barry, Anees A. Sheikh

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Most of the current research in the area of television advertising to children deal entirely with white populations. This exclusion of black subjects exists in spite of an abundance of research in education, sociology and psychology which suggests differences in the socialization of black and white children. The present article reviews major studies of television and children and black versus white child development. The authors conclude with several suggestions for further research.

On The Analytic Foundations Of Behaviorism, Samuel Yaffe

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Visual Feedback On Vocal Pitch Matching, Anita R. Herron

Dissertations and Theses

A review of the literature on the inaccurate singer provided strong evidence that improvement in pitch matching skill was possible. Visual feedback was found to be an effective aid in earlier studies, but none of the previous studies provided both a comparison group which had identical practice without the visual cues and a control group which received no form of practice. Such a design was used in the present study.

Thirty students at Portland State University who claimed to have considerable difficulty carrying a tune were given the opportunity to try to match Individual pitches under one of three conditions …

An Examination Of The Interrelationship Between Caregiver Behaviors, Infant Temperament And Perceptual-Cognitive Development, Anita E. Stauffer

Dissertations and Theses

The present study extended the Lewis and Goldberg (1968) study and included the parameter of infant temperament as defined by Thomas, Chess, Birch, Hertzig and Korn (1963). As in the Goldberg study, the index of response decrement was used as a measure of the infant’s development. It was hypothesized that response decrement would be positively correlated with high frequency of caregiver stimulation and negatively correlated with high infant intensity and activity ratings. Response decrement is the measured decrease in the amount of time an infant looks at a novel stimulus after several trials. It was computed by observing the infant’s …

Some Relationships Between Humor Preferences And Trait Anxiety, Robert Goodkind

Psychology ETDs

A model was proposed, based essentially on the statements of Berlyne, to explain part of the relationship between trait anxiety and cartoon humor appreciation. The basic points of the model were that humor is caused by the arousal of anxiety by a humor stimulus which is then followed by a decrease in anxiety arousal. The more anxious a person is the greater his need for anxiety reduction through humor. The greater the need for anxiety reduction, the greater the appreciation of anxiety arousing cartoons. If hostile and sexual content cartoons are the most arousing, they would then be the most …

Effects Of Experimental Epilepsy On The Sexual Behavior Of Cats, Frank P. Gullotta

Psychology ETDs

The human clinical literature suggests that hyposexuality is frequently associated with temporal lobe epilepsy, but rarely occurs with other forms of epilepsy. This experiment tested the hypothesis that an irritative epileptic focus in the temporal lobes results in hyposexuality. Baseline brain activity and sexual performance were recorded in male cats. Focal epilepsy was then induced by injection of aluminum hydroxide (Amphogel) unilaterally into either basolateral amygdala (temporal lobe group) or anterior sigmoid gyrus (motor cortex group). Both groups gradually developed EEG and clinical signs of epilepsy. Animals with an epileptic focus in the temporal lobe exhibited a dramatic decline in …

Differential Effects Of Instructions To Role-Play Mental Illness On The Performance Of Chicanos And Anglos On Two Subtests Of The Wais, Teresa Y. Makowski

Psychology ETDs

Anglo and Chicano conceptions of mental illness were studied through a cross-cultural comparison of performance on the Information and Comprehension subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale either under standard instructions or under instructions to role-play mental illness. Thirty-two Anglo (22 female and 10 male) and thirty-two Chicano (18 female and 14 male) students from introductory psychology classes participated in the study. It was predicted that both Anglo and Chicano subjects would have decreased performance on both subtests under role­playing instructions. This prediction was based on the concept of mental illness which suggests that the mentally ill are seen as …

Retention As A Function Of Transfer Paradign And Introversion-Extroversion, Glenna F. Hasslacher

Master's Theses

In an effort to investigate the effects of personality on paired-associate learning, sixty students from the Univer­ sity of Richmond were separated into three groups of extro­ vert, control, and introvert, on the basis of the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI). Five Ss from each group were randomly assigned to four paired-associate learning conditions (A-Br, A-C, C-B, C-D) and required to learn an A-B and a second paired-associate learning list to a criterion of one perfect score. Subjects were required to return to the lab after 24 hours for a retention test of both the second list and the original A-B …

The Outsider Conceptual Definition And Linkages To Several Psychological Theories, Thomas R. Holmes

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Response-Reinforcer And Stimulus-Reinforcer Variables In The Elimination Of Behavior, Philip Dan Bruce

Psychology ETDs

The differential-reinforcement-of-other-behavior procedure (DRO) was investigated in the context of discrete trials to determine the extent to which it would reduce the key pecking of pigeons. The DRO procedure was compared to discrete-trials omission (DTO), discrete-trials extinction (DTE), an extinction procedure in which a response reset the trial period (REE), and a positive response-contingency control group (RCR). At the end of the response-elimination phase, all groups were exposed to response-independent reinforcement to assess the durability of the response-elimination procedures. Two measures, mean relative response rate and percentage of trials containing a peck, were used to assess performance.

All response-elimination procedures …

Homosexuality Among Women: Historical And Current Views In Psychology, Craig Bracy

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this review is to evaluate the methodology of past and present research with female homosexuals and then to summarize the current state of knowledge in psychology and psychiatry. The data presented in this review have been derived predominantly from material abstracted in the Medicus Index (1900-1976) and Psychology Abstracts (1927-1976).

This reviewer has established specific criteria by which all studies throughout this literature review will be examined. These are: sample size, sampling of experimental control groups, variable controlled (age, education, etc), how sexual orientation was determined, and tests and questionnaires employed, their reliability, validity, administration, and interpretation. …

Stimulus Intensity And Probability Of Stimulus Change As Determinants Of Simple Reaction Time, Robert T. Nullmeyer

Psychology ETDs

Many reaction time investigators have shown that as stimulus intensities increase response latencies decrease. In addition, Spiess (1971) demonstrated that the presentation of knowledge concerning the nature of the upcoming stimulus prior to its onset (preknowledge) could result in decreased reaction times. Spiess concluded that this preknowledge effect was interpretable within the framework of Grice's variable criterion model. Grice's model assumes that a response would occur when information concerning the onset of a stimulus reached a required level or criterion. The rate at which this information accumulates is determined by the intensity of the stimulus with stronger stimuli resulting in …

The Functional Significance Of Imagery In The Learning And Memory Of The Educable Mentally Retarded, Doris C. Sahd

Psychology ETDs

This research examined imagery effects in the learning and long-term retention of educable mentally retarded subjects. Between-subject factors included the level of stimulus imagery (low imagery versus high imagery), instructional procedure (standard paired-associate instruction versus imagery instruction), and length of retention interval (immediate, one week, and two weeks). Materials used were two lists of paired-associate nouns, selected so that meaningfulness was held constant while imagery was varied. Imagery was low for the stimulus terms of one list and high for the stimulus terms of the other list. Subjects were 120 non-institutionalized educable mentally retarded children (mean MA of 9.19) from …

Sex-Role Stereotyping In Ratings Of Mental Health By Undergraduates, John S. Sutton-Gamache

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

This study looked at the concept of positive mental health or self-actualization and the characteristics of which it is comprised. These characteristics were defined as those measured by the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI). This study also examined the possibility of these characteristics being sex-typed.

Undergraduate subjects were administered the POI with one of three instruction-types: to apply their answers to a mentally healthy man, a mentally healthy woman, or a mentally healthy person (sex unspecified). Experimental conditions consisted of male or female subject sex vs. instruction-type and analyses were performed which compared subject responses from one condition to another.

Results …

The Effects Of Vicarious Response Contingencies And A Retarded Versus A Nonretarded Model On The Imitative Learning Of Retarded And Nonretarded Children, Charlene Dee Edwards

Psychology ETDs

The imitative learning of retarded and nonretarded children was compared using a retarded and a nonretarded model and three vicarious response contingency conditions. Forty-seven retarded and 44 nonretarded subjects viewed a televised presentation of a model performing seven discrete behaviors to open a cabinet. Half of each group of children saw a retarded model and the other half of each group saw a nonretarded model.

One-third of the subjects in each of the four resulting groups viewed a film in which the model was punished immediately following the behavior sequence, one-third viewed a film in which the model was reinforced, …

An Exploratory Study Of The Effects Of Parenting Relationships On Children's School Adjustment, Raymond M. Lappin, Lisa J. Posner, Marcia S. Smith

Dissertations and Theses

As indicated in the National Vital Statistics Report of April 1973, the rate of divorces involving minor children is increasing rapidly in this country. Consequently, concern about the effects of divorce on children has been growing. In 1974, a collaborative effort between the Clackamas County (Oregon) Circuit Court and the Portland State University National Justice Educational Development Project was begun to study the impact of divorce on children and their parents (IDCAP). Heading the team of researchers are Stanley N. Cohen, Ph.D., and Nolan Jones, Research Associate. Of special interest to Cohen and Jones is the parenting relationship of the …

Clinical Application Of The Midi-Mult, Barbara Hendricks

Dissertations and Theses

The MMPI is used as a diagnostic tool in clinical settings. However, its length is a detriment. Various attempts have been made to develop shortened versions of the standard MMPI. One of the widely used short forms is Kincannon's Mini-Mult, but its validity scales are less accurate than the full MMPI.

Dean's Midi-Mult is a more recent short form of the MMPI designed to approximate more closely the scores on the validity scales and clinical scales of the standard MMPI.

A Criterial Attribute Interpretation Of Categorization, Gale Sutton

Psychology ETDs

The concept formation paradigm was utilized to assess the extent of prototype formation. The concept was constructed to mirror natural categories, e.g., birds, dogs, etc. The concept was therefore based on discrete, criterial, but probabilistic, attributes manipulated in such a manner that examples possessed from two to six relevant attributes. Experiment 1 assessed saliency differences in the dimensions utilized in Experiment 2. Experiment consisted of an acquisition phase, a rating phase, and a reaction time task. Results demonstrated that subjects learned the concept, rated stimuli according to how many relevant attributes they possessed, and produced reaction times in accord with …

The Effect Of Natural Childbirth Classes On Anxiety In Pregnant Women, Kitty M. Wilkinson

Dissertations and Theses

A study was conducted to investigate the claim made by proponents of the natural childbirth method that attendance in the program results in a decrease of the anxiety commonly associated with pregnancy and delivery. Seventy-two pregnant women filled out the A-State and A-Trait forms of the STAI twice in their obstetricians' offices at points which approximated 6.5 and 8.5 months along in their pregnancies. Subjects who elected not to attend natural childbirth classes evidenced significantly higher state and trait scores as compared to those scores of subjects who did attend classes. Implications for dealing with these differences are discussed in …

Race As A Moderator Variable In The Prediction Of Grade Point Average From Act Scores: Implications For Course Placement Guidelines, Robert Ungarean

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The problems focused on in this study are to determine (1) if racial differences exist when American College Testing Program (ACT) scores are used to predict Grade Point Average (GPA); (2) how placement decisions may be affected if differences do exist; (3) and what guidelines or recommendations can be formulated to avoid possible test bias and discrimination in placement procedures. Subjects consisted of the total population of 139 Black freshman students and a sample of 139 White freshman students entering a Southeastern regional university in the fall of 1970. Separate regression analyses were performed for Black, White and combined (total) …

Auditory Or Visual Perception : Which Is The Better Predictor Of Reading Comprehension, Thomas Spencer Chalkley Jr.

Master's Theses

All first and third graders from a surburban public school were administered the Kerby Learning Modalities Test (KLMT) and the Metropolitan Achievement Test Battery (MAT). The relationship between the MAT reading compre­ hension subtest percentile scores, the KLMT overall visual percentile scores, and the KLMT overall auditory percentile scores were explored through the use of Regression Analysis and other correlational techniques. The various correlations were used in several prediction models. There was no significant difference (p> .01) between the .full model predicting Reading Comprehension (RC) with Auditory (A) and Visual (V) and the restricted model predicting RC with A; however …

The Development And Validation Of A Life-Change Checklist For Juvenile Delinquents, Paul G. Kulcsar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A method generated by psychophysics has been used to develop a Checklist consisting of 58 life-events that require varying degrees of readjustment on the part of adolescents experiencing them.

A very high degree of concordance was found to exist among psychologists, social workers and probation officers with regard to the relative value of life-change required by those events.

Information about the occurrence of the amount of life-change was subsequently gathered from a sample of 334 juvenile delinquents and 104 nondelinquents by administering the Checklist. A measure of the degree of severity of delinquency was also obtained for each delinquent subject. …

The Effects Of Age And Socio-Economic Status On The Diagnosis And Educational Treatment Of Mildly Handicapping Conditions Of School Children, John W. Kelsey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Biasing effects in labeling and recommendations for educational services when factors of socio-economic status and age are manipulated were studied using 50 certified school psychologists in Utah. Subjects received case report information about IQ, behavior and achievement which described a school child in need of services within one of four conditions, Age 7 Socioeconomic status (SES) High, Age 7 SES Low, Age 13 SES High, and Age 13 SES Low. Other potentially biasing variables such as ethnic background, and sex were held constant. No evidence of bias could be found when dependent measures of labeling, recommendations for educational services, and …

The Effectiveness Of Training For Empathy In Pre-Service Teacher Education, John Bruce Jessen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The specific objective of this research was to determine the effectiveness of training on understanding empathy in the teacher training process.

Subjects were Utah State University students enrolled in Elementary Education during winter quarter 1976. The experimental group was composed of 34 subjects and the control group of 27 subjects.

Both groups were administered a pretest. The experimental group then received the treatment which consisted of a training program designed to help them to be able to (1) define, (2) recognize instances of, and (3) to emit empathic behavior. At the conclusion of the training program both the experimental and …