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An Operational Analysis Of The Value Of The Nonoutcome Trial In Children's Discrimination Learning, Thelma A. Giomi

Psychology ETDs

Numerous and divergent interpretations of the value of the blank or nonoutcome trial (N) in combination with reinforcement or punishment have been suggested. In all these interpretations N is considered as a response inferred construct. The present study was conducted to directly test the value of N in differential feedback combinations and to provide a critical evaluation of these various interpretations. The experiment consisted of a two phase study employing two simultaneous discrimination problems. In the first discrimination 90 Ss learned a two choice simultaneous discrimination under one of three feedback conditions, reinforcement following a correct response and punishment following …

Two Emotional Factors And Weight Loss Among Females Attending A Weight Control Class, Karen Lynn Carrigg, Eileen Rae Wangerin

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A descriptive study was conducted on twenty-four females attending a weight control class to discover the effect of weight loss upon levels of self-esteem and anxiety, as an understanding of the relation of these factors to reduction and control of weight would prove helpful to community health nurses in counseling with overweight and obese persons in the community.

The entire sample was tested for self-esteem (TSCS) and A-State and A-Trait anxiety levels at the initial class of the weight control program sponsored by the Health Education Department of Loma Linda University Medical Center, and again after seven weeks of class …

An Awareness Of The Guidance Services Of District #91 As Seen By Students, Carlene Pace Herring

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This study is designed to obtain information about the awareness of the guidance services as seen by- students in the hope that it will bring about a renewed interest in, and the promotion of, a more functional program of guidance. The objectives of this study are summnarized as follows: 1. To provide data regarding perceived value or worth of the guidance program as rated by the pupils. 2. To identify perceived strengths and weaknesses in the guidance services for consideration by the Pupil Personnel Department of the district. a. To what extent are pupils orientated to the guidance service and …

The Development Of Career Activities For Fourth Grade Students, Barbara P. M. Southwick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Today's youth have few real contacts with the work world and have little knowledge of what is expected from them. Many grade school youngsters are not aware of the type of work their parents are doing. Some do not even know where their parents work. It is difficult for most elementary students to see the relationship between their present school activities and their future life. And all too often, students can not express personal goals or plans.

As students become more aware of the world of work, they should be better prepared to enter it and they should also develop …

The Comparative Effects Of Two Reinforcement Schedules Applied To Groups In Teaching Arithmetic Skills, Ronald C. Bennett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A behavioral approach to teaching in the public school system is difficult because of the inherent difficulty of finding positive reinforcers and administering them simultaneously to large groups of students.

This study attempts to apply the same tangible reinforcers to two groups of students under different schedules of reinforcement. The students in the study were in special classes termed "learning adjustment" classes because of their failure to perform at grade level in regular classroom settings.

One group was on a continuous schedule of reinforcement using tokens and gold strike stamps as reinforcers. The second group was also on a continuous …

Utilization Of Phoneme-Grapheme Relative Frequency Data As An Effective Method Of Developing Reading Materials For Navajo Students, Wesley K. Roberts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis suggests a new method of developing reading materials for Navajo students. The core of this method is based on phoneme- grapheme relative frequency correspondence data.

A short story was phonetically edited and rewritten using the phoneme-grapheme relative frequency method. This short story was one of the major products of the thesis.

This short story and three other short stories previously phonically rewritten, were presented in both this form and in original text to 38 Navajo students for reading.

Reading speed and reading comprehension were measured for each student on the short stories. The students performed with superior reading …

The Role Of Imagery In Association Formation And Stimulus Recognition, Boyd C. Tatum

Psychology ETDs

Three experiments were performed in order to investigate the role that imagery plays in association formation and stimulus recognition. It was hypothesized that response terms of high imagery (I) value would produce enhanced recognition of the stimulus term over response terms of Low I value in a paired-associate (PA) task. Experiment I tested this hypothesis using High-I and Low-I response terms which bore a conceptual relationship to the stimulus terms. The stimuli were trigrams and the responses were nouns rated either High I or Low I. The Ss (undergraduate students) were trained under the study trial/test trial method and received …

Teacher Use Of Stimulus Discrimination And Response Cost As Techniques For Reducing Socially Maladaptive Student Behaviors In A Secondary Classroom, Thomas J. Doland

Master's Theses

The present study was designed to evaluate the use of two behavior modification techniques in modifying three inappropriate student behaviors in a secondary classroom. T'he two behavior modification techniques employed were 1) response cost, and 2) the teacher 's use of students' names as discriminative stimuli. The subjects were a D-section Junior English class consisting of fourteen boys and five girls of average intelligence, but who were under­ achieving academically. The contingencies were applied to all students, utilizing a multiple baseline design. In experimental condition I, the teacher informed the class that ten minutes of free time would be available …

Degree Of Depression In Women Preceding Abortion At The University Of Oregon Medical School, William M. Nathe, Ike R. Lacefield

Dissertations and Theses

This evaluation was undertaken because of an interest by the authors in the abortion program at the Medical School. Interest in the emotional status of patients receiving abortions was aroused while working in a field placement at the Medical School through the Portland State University School of Social Work.

With the consent and assistance of the Obstetrics-Gynecology Department and the Director of Social Services, this study was initiated with the hope that it would be a step toward providing an over-all and continuing assessment of information about the women receiving abortions. The researchers' particular area of interest concerned the characteristics …

A Curriculum For The Profoundly Retarded Children In A Development Center For Handicapped Minors, Charles William Koontz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The development of the infant from birth to four years will approximately parallel the stages of development of the profoundly retarded children enrolled in the Development Centers for Handicapped Minors ( DCHM ) in California. The retarded child is a human being and may be assumed to have the same basic equipment as the normal child. If we expand and prolong the development stated of the normal child we will be able to lead the DCHM child through these states in slow motion to insure progress.

To develop a curriculum, an assessment of the abilities of the child was necessary. …

Interest, Achievement And Personality Differences And The Direction Of Lateral Eye Movement, Frances Irene Lewis

All Master's Theses

An eye movement identified as being related to personality and achievement differences in individuals was investigated. Subjects were 116 college freshmen who were classified as right or left movers on the basis of the direction their eyes moved laterally during reflective thought. The classifications were correlated with variables of sex, eye dominance, handedness, personality and achievement scores. Findings indicate significant correlations for left handed subjects on Economic and Political scales and Verbal achievement but no significant correlations for right handed subjects.

Recognition And Recall As Measures Of Retention On A Paired Associate Task, David F. Prim

Master's Theses

Widely disparate findings concerning recognition and recall as indicants of retention have been reported by several independent researchers. To clarify the problem a list of 8 items, composed of letter-number pairs, was presented 5 times by the study-test method to 160 college undergraduates. The list was learned by either recognition or recall and then tested by either a recognition or recall test after 24 hour and 72 hour intervals. Ss were placed in 1 of 5 categories dependent upon the trial the S achieved 100% criterion. A 4 factor ANOV showed recognition scores to be significantly higher at the .05 …

Stability Of Visual Fixation With And Without Feedback, Antoinette Ruth Appel

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Periodicity Instability On The Detection Of Interaural Time-Of-Arrival Difference, Roy F. Sullivan

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

A Review Of "Longitudinal Study" In Developmental Psychology, Emily H. Finley

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this library research thesis is to review the "longitudinal study" in terms of problems and present use. A preliminary search of the literature on longitudinal method revealed problems centering around two areas: (1) definition of "longitudinal study" and (2) practical problems of method itself. The purpose of this thesis then is to explore through a search of books and journals the following questions:

1. How can “longitudinal study” be defined?

2. What problems are inherent in the study of the same individuals over time and how can these problems be solved?

A third question which emerges from …

A Comparison Of Verbal And Geometric Stimuli In Concept Learning, Robert William Greenway

All Master's Theses

Subjects classified stimulus patterns into positive or negative instances of the concept according to either an attribute identification (AI) problem or a rule learning (RL) problem. Four types of stimulus materials were used: verbal stimuli (V), geometric stimuli (G), or two combinations of these modes, verbal geometric (VG) or verbal colored (VC). The only main effects that were significant were the Type of rule and Type of problem. Some interactions were obtained between these factors and the stimulus mode employed.

Post-Exposural Eye Movements And Lateral Differences In Tachistoscopic Recognition, R. Cameron Mcrae

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Left-right differences in visual field accuracy obtained in studies of tachistoscopic recognition have been typically discussed in terms of a covert post exposure scanning process derived from the horizontal eye movements (EM) habitually used in reading. Further, some evidence exists that indicates the occurrence of EM concomitant with the recognition process. By monitoring EM during a representative recognition task, the present study attempted to establish the relation between overt EM elicited by the task, and response accuracy. Using a projection tachistoscope (duration 100 msec.), 8 female Ss were presented with a random trial series of 8-element letter, number, and symbol …

The Relationship Of Leadership Effectiveness To L.P.C For University Department Chairmen, Carter W. Brown

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

For most of recorded history leadership ability has been considered a simple variable linearly related to the effectiveness of a team of workers. Everyone possessed it to some degree. When a king or corporate president had a task to be accomplished, all he needed to do to maximize the probability of the task being completed vas to locate the individual with the greatest leadership skill available. For centuries man has tried to quantify this variable so that identification of good leaders could be achieved more accurately. After years of futile attempts at quantification, leadership theorists began in the early 1900's …

Aldo Leopold's "Land Ethic": An Ecological Extension Of Albert Schweitzer's "Reverence For Life", John Lee Weaver

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

As a member of the world community, and in the process of becoming a professional ecologist, I have begun a search for a personal ecological ethic to guide my actions. Two of the paths I have taken in my search are Albert Schweitzer's Reverence for Life ethic and Aldo Leopold's Land Ethic. They are relevant because each has extended the scope of ethics beyond Homo Sapiens. Their thoughts, with similarities and dissimilarities, form herein my travels.

Perception And Awareness Of Manipulative Intent, Joseph P. Reser

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Consequences Of Commitment And The Relevance Of Cognitively Bonded Values On Initial Attitude And Resistance To Attitude Change, Kenneth A. Marciniak

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Three Aspects Of Cognitive Style In Young Children, Briar D. Gaudun

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the developmental concept of the process of differentiation as reflected in cognitive style with three and seven year old male and female Ss. The ideas underlying this study stemmed from the Witkin concept of an analytical versus a global cognitive style. The design, however, differed considerably from the studies of Witkin, Dyk, Faterson, Goodenough, and Karp (1962) by incorporating three aspects of psychological functioning which theoretically should be highly related, although they have never been investigated simultaneously. The three aspects of psychological functioning were perceptual articulation as measured by the Preschool …

The Stimulus Properties Of Change In Magnitude Of Reinforcement., James E. Schroeder

Psychology ETDs

The major purpose of the present experiment was to demonstrate the incentive and discriminative stimulus (SD) properties of a change in magnitude of reinforcement. This was accomplished in a differential instrumental conditioning setting by correlating carious shifts in magnitude of reinforcement (and, therefore, incentive) on the discriminative stimulus trial (trial SD) with magnitude of reward on the next trial (trials SD+1). In condition LL a large reinforcement on trial SD was perfectly correlated with large reward on trial SD+1. Thus, incentive and the discrimination worked together to increase rate of responding on trials SE+1 relative to trial SD. In condition …

Uni- And Bidimensional Concept Learning As A Function Of Age, C. Jean Rogers

Psychology ETDs

Dimensional attention in six- and nine-year-olds was assessed by the use of two concept identification tasks which allowed either a uni- or bidimensional solution. It was expected that the older children would be more likely to attain a bidimensional solution. The results did not confirm this prediction. A subsequent analysis of solution strategies revealed that a primary strategy or both age groups was to learn two values from a single dimension, one which predicted positive instances and one which predicted negative instance. If Ss were presented with a task where this strategy was unsuccessful, they tended to adopt one of …

Managerial Success And Personality Traits Of Self-Actualization, Louis H. Ballenger

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Transfer Of Stimulus Differentiation As A Function Of Stimulus Complexity: A Test Of The Switching Notion, E. Kim Smith

Psychology ETDs

Two experiments on the role of stimulus recoding in the A-B, A-C paradigm are described. In Experiment I, complexity (number of points) was held constant and number of relevant cues was varied. Subjects were divided into two groups: one learned a paired associate task involving 1-cue, 24-point high similarity stimuli and the other learned a paired associate task involving 2-cue, 24-point high similarity stimuli. Both groups were then given a transfer task in which the number of correct responses was recorded. It was found that the subjects in 2-cue stimulus condition performed much better than the subjects in the 1-cue …

The Effects Of Novel Stimuli In The Discrimination Learning Of Children, Evelyn W. Francis

Psychology ETDs

While it has been demonstrated that stimulus novelty has a variety of influences upon the behavior of children, there has been little systematic research on the effects of stimulus novelty upon discrimination learning. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of relevant stimulus novelty, defined in terms of familiarization pretraining, on the discrimination learning of normal children. First and second grade children learned either a high or low stimulus similarity, two-choice, discrimination problem. Prior to this discrimination task the subjects received either no familiarization (C) or 15 familiarization training trials with the negative stimulus(NF), positive stimulus (PF), both the …

State-Dependent Learning As A Function Of The Temporal Relationship Between Noncontingent Footshock And Electroconvulsive Shock, T. Scott Shutt

All Master's Theses

Rats were given a noncontingent footshock followed at various intervals by electroconvulsive shock. Twentyfour hours later they were trained on a non-shock passive avoidance task and tested for retention 72 hours later. When the interval between NCFS and ECS was short the animals showed an amnesia which reduced as the interval was lengthened. An interval of .5 seconds produced the most pronounced amnesia and intervals greater than 10 seconds produced virtually no amnesia. The results were consistent with a state dependent retrieval failure hypothesis.

The Facilitative Role Of Response Contingent Exteroceptive Feedback In A Discriminated Wheel Turn Avoidance Task, Barbara Ballin Lerman

Psychology ETDs

Four groups of 8 hooded rats were conditioned to avoid shock by turning a wheel in the presence of either a single or compound warning signal, and with or without an exteroceptive feedback stimulus contingent upon each response. Group L received a single light CS and no feedback stimulus; group L + C, a compound CS composed of lights and click, and no FS; group L + FS, a light CS and a FS; and group L + C + FS, a light and click CS and a FS. A response contingent exteroceptive feedback stimulus significantly improved level of avoidance …

Ames Trapezoid Illusion: A New Model, Daniel Robert Kelly

Dissertations and Theses

Current explanations for the Ames Trapezoid Illusion are based upon the the absence of cues: the illusion is said to occur at chance. A review of recent literature showed that: (a) the illusion varies in frequency as a function of target shape (b) that the dominant cue to reduce the frequency of the illusion is the variant in retinal height. Based upon the dominance of this cue a new model was presented. Following this model it was hypothesized that observers viewing partial rotation when the target produces the greatest difference in the retinal height of the ends would determine the …