Digital Commons Network^™

Therapeutic Value Of Companion Animals On Psychosocial And Physiological Well-Being: A Review Of The Literature., Maria G. D'Anna

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

An Exploratory Study Of The Traumatic Stress Experienced By Professional Caregivers Exposed To Children Injured By Violence, Heather R. Carlson

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Fears In Children With Chronic Constipation: Reliability And Validity Of The Defecation Anxiety Scale, Elizabeth Page Clawson

Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric constipation can lead to various negative emotional and physical consequences including abdominal pain, painful defecation, toileting fears, anxiety about pain and intestinal dysfunction. In addition, constipation can lead to socially compromising and embarrassing situations due to associated overflow incontinence. These unpleasant physical and emotional symptoms may in tum lead to conditioned avoidance behaviors, which serve to further maintain the cycle of stool retention and constipation. Presently, there have not been any studies directly addressing the role of conditioned aversion in the etiology and maintenance of constipation. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Defecation Anxiety Scale (DAS)- a …

Applicants' Experience Of Social Support In The Process Of Seeking Psychotherapy, Stephen M. Saunders

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

Examined informal social support during the process of seeking psychotherapy, conceptualized as four steps: realizing there is a problem; deciding therapy might help; deciding to seek therapy; and contacting the clinic. 315 psychotherapy applicants (aged 18–62 yrs) completed a questionnaire asking them whether they had talked to anyone about the problem prior to seeking therapy, whether they had help at any of the steps, and from whom they had obtained such help. Results indicated that social support was important across the process. Almost three-fourths of all Ss had help with at least 2 of the 4 steps, and almost one-third …

Female Aggression In Semi-Contact Sports, Karla Ann Sipple

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate female aggression in semi-contact sport. More specifically, two areas were examined: the types of aggression, hostile or instrumental, that occurred in girls basketball and soccer and the types of aggression that were committed within both sports. The subjects (N = 57) for this study were female athletes ( ages 15-18) who were sampled from various Midwestern high schools: basketball athletes (n = 32) and soccer athletes (n = 25). Subjects responded to a modified form of the Bredemeier Athletic Aggression Inventory (BAAGI-S). One way ANOVA's indicated non-significant differences for the …

The Effects Of Visual Field Size On Search Performance, Heather A. Lang '96

Honors Projects

In the fields of both cognitive development and cognitive aging, similar patterns of performance on selective attention tasks have been found between children and older adults. Presently, there exist few studies of selective attention across the lifespan. A 1995 study by Shapiro, Shapiro, Cointin, and Forbes addressed this absence through investigating search performance in a cross-sectional, life-span study. In the Shapiro et al. study, a compelling pattern of performance was found: in conjunction conditions, which require serial searches, older adults' performance differed significantly from the younger adults' performance across increasing display size only in target absent trials. The present study …

Validation Of The Reasons For Living Inventory-Ii (Rfl-Ii) In A College Sample, Monty T. Baker

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of a self-report measure designed to assess adolescent and young adult suicidal behavior. This measure, the Reasons for Living Inventory-II, was the revised version of the Adolescent Reasons for Living Inventory developed by Osman and Besett (1995). The final version of the RFL-II contained 32 items that loaded on five factors. The item loadings and coefficients alpha were high and satisfactory. Confirmatory factor-analytic procedures supported the fit of the five factor oblique model. Two groups were identified by using the Suicide Behavior Questionnaire item, "Have you ever thought about or …

The Study Of Optimism In A Freshman College Student Population: An Analysis Of The Optimism About College Life Scale, Patrick John Barlow

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the usefulness of the Optimism about College Life Scale (OCLS: Prola, 1984) as it related to conceptually similar (Life Orientation Test: Scheier & Carver, 1985; Generalized Expectancy for Success Scale: Fibel & Hale, 1978) and dissimilar (Beck Hopelessness Scale: Beck, Weissman, Lester, & Trexler, 1974; Self-rating Depression Scale: Zung, 1965; State-Trait Anxiety Inventory: Spielberger, Gorsuch, & Lushene, 1970) scales. A second focus of the study was to determine the relation of the OCLS to actual college life as measured by grade point average and an adjustment to college measure adapted from …

The Effects Of A Sense Of Humour On Empathic-Responses : Testing Positive And Negative Affect As Mediating Variables, Michael Francis Sheehan

Theses : Honours

Research investigating individual differences in empathy-related responding has shown sympathy (an other oriented response involving concern) and perspective taking (the psychological adoption of another's point of view) to be related to emotional regulation and more positive affect, and personal distress (an egoistic reaction to another's distress) to be associated with overarousal and more negative affect Separate research investigating the stress-moderating effects of humour has linked coping humour to reduced negative affect and the maintenance of positive affect. The present study tested a model that hypothesised that coping humour would have an indirect affect on each empathy-related variable through positive and …

Bullying In Schools : An Extension And Replication Of Schoolchildren's Attitudes And Helping Behaviour Toward Victims Of Bullying, Kathy Elliott

Theses : Honours

A replication and extension of Rigby and Slee's (1991) study, was conducted in rural Western Australia to investigate age and gender differences in schoolchildren's attitudes and behaviour toward victims of bullying. One hundred and seventy two students (93 Females, 79 males) participated in the study, comprising of, Year 3, Year 7, Year 8, and Year 12 students. Three written, anonymous questionnaires were used: (i) The Peer Relations Questionnaire (Rigby & Slee, 1994) and (ii) the Pro-Victim Scale (Rigby & Slee, 1991) examined students peer interactions and attitudes toward victims; and a self-developed questionnaire, (iii) the Victim Questionnaire, was ased to …

An Examination Of The Influence Of Court Interpreters Upon Attributions Of Defendant And Plaintiff Culpability, Grace Frances

Theses : Honours

An expressed reluctance of the courts to employ interpreters has been challenged on the basis that a failure to provide such assistance to the Non-English Speaking (NES) witness contravenes the principles of natural justice. Further, NES defendants risk being misunderstood and incapacitated in their ability to effectively communicate the intended meaning of the evidence they are giving. In order to determine whether the presence of an interpreter exerts influence upon attributions of culpability given to a NES defendant, it was .important to identify whether evaluations were based on the interpreter's presence or on the defendant's ethnicity. Therefore, three trial conditions …

The Role Of Social Support Networks In The Independent Functioning Of Elderly Persons, Maree Gabbedy

Theses : Honours

There is conclusive evidence which highlights the importance of physical and mental health in the ability of elderly persons to function within society, and elderly persons who require services to maintain their independence, are assumed to have lower levels of functioning than persons who do not apply for, or require assistance. Individuals, however, are rarely totally independent, as most people are involved in social networks, where the reciprocal exchange of money, emotional support, goods and services are exchanged with friends family and neighbours. This study, examined the role of social support networks in the independent functioning of the elderly, in …

Self-Concept Differences Between Bullied And Non-Bullied Children, Wendy Forrest

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to compare bullied and non-bullied children in order to ascc1tain whether the two groups varied on specific self-concept factors. The theoretical position was that low self-concept was related to bullying and as such, bullied children would score lower on a stipulated self-concept test. The sample comprised fifty-three bullied and fifty-three non-bullied children from grades six to nine, selected from three large state city schools and six large state country schools with similar socio-economic status. The students were allocated to the "bullied" and "non-bullied" groups by class teachers using specified criteria. All fifty-three bullied children …

Identification As A Motivator Of Environmentally Responsible Tourist Behaviour, Steve Sertis

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examined the use of information in motivating environmentally responsible behaviour. In light of the ineffectiveness of traditional educational methods that have focussed upon affecting behaviour by changing attitudes through the manipulation of cognitive variables, an attempt was made to produce a sense of identification with the Rottnest Island Quokka using the tripartite model of motivational bases of attitudes developed by Hills (1993 ). This model used to determine whether different kinds of information would produce changes in environmental behaviour. Three groups of tourists were given either no information; factual information, consistent with current educational techniques used to influence …

Affective And Cognitive Bases Of Attitudes Toward Environmental Issues, Julie A. Pooley

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This present study seeks to determine the bases of our attitudes toward environmental issues. Is it what we think and believe (cognition) about the environment that determines our attitudes or is it what we feel (affect) that informs us. Previous literature indicates that in some areas affect may be a better predictor of attitudes than cognition. Furthermore the environmental education literature suggests that affect may be a key entry point for environmental education Using Zanna & Rempel's (1988) attitude structure model, the present study seeks to replicate and extend the work of Eagly, Mladinic and Otto (1994) using a free …

A Qualitative Evaluation Of The S.A.I.F. Programme, Anne Blair

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis describes an evaluation of Sexual Assault in Families Inc., Perth, Western Australia (the SAIF programme) which offers therapy and counselling to families where one or more of the children have been sexually abused by one of the family members. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate the use of a triangulated qualitative research methodology in order to determine whether the programme is achieving its objectives in terms of service delivery. It adopted a phenomenological approach in which participants were acknowledged as expert informants who were capable of identifying valued aspects of the programme. The participants were twelve …

A Formative Evaluation Of The Ontario Breast Cancer Information Exchange Project, Michelle Marie Monforton-Everest

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In 1993 The Government of Canada allocated 2.7 million dollars to fund five Breast Cancer Information Exchange Pilot Projects for five years. The Ontario Breast Cancer Information Exchange Project (OBCIEP) is one site of this innovative approach to linking breast cancer stakeholders and women with breast cancer and coordinating available information sources to improve access to information about breast cancer for women, their families and health care professionals. Formative evaluations are conducted to learn from a novel program such as the OBCIEP. This paper outlines a collaborative approach to evaluation using qualitative methods and analyses. The results of the evaluation …

Transitions To U.S. Private Schools: Perceptions Of Six Immigrant Elementary School Boys, Philip Manwell

Doctoral Dissertations

"The United States is faced with the privilege and challenge of educating immigrant children, not only in a second language and other skills, but also in the many and varied dimensions of life in this country" (London, 1990; p. 287).

Whether these children have fled rigid dictatorial regimes or wars, whether they came to the U.S. directly or spent time in refugee camps or detention centers, whether they have little more than what they are wearing at the time, or their families have planned the migration carefully, leaving their countries of origin legally and peacefully, bringing currency and the promise …

Therapist Orientation And Circularity-Linearity Of Causality, Responsibility, Intentionality, And Blame For Clinical Problems, Helen Alexander Jones

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Differences in circularity of attributions of causality, responsibility, intentionality and blame for clinical problems by therapists of psychodynamic, behavioral and systems orientations, a psychiatrist group, and an attorney control group were investigated using the Circularity-Linearity Attribution Scale (CLAS). Respondents' judgments about the sufficiency of a single cause for the problem, circular conceptualization of the problem, and linear conceptualization of the presented problems were also solicited. Responses were compared for two problems, schizophrenia and domestic violence. It was hypothesized that the systems-oriented therapists' attributions would be more circular than those of other therapist groups on all dependent variables. It was also …

The Effects Of Training On Women's And Men's Perceptions Of Sexual Harassment, Isabel M. Rivera Ledoux

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sexual harassment is a continual problem in the workplace; however, most sexual harassment research focuses on problems associated with sexual harassment rather than evaluating the potential for training programs to resolve such problems. This study examined two training programs to evaluate the potential effects of training on the differences between the perspectives of women and men on sexually harassing behaviors. The first training program served as a control group, and the second emphasized the discrepancies between female and male experiences of sexually harassing behaviors. It was predicted that women and men who become aware of the psychological pain experienced by …

Cardiovascular Responses To The Combination Of Caffeine And The Repeated Acquisition And Performance Procedure, Cristin L. Sullivan

Masters Theses

The present study examined cardiovascular responses to the combination of caffeine (250 mg) and the repeated acquisition and performance procedure (RAPP) in humans. Six male subjects were tested in a within-subject, double-blind design. Repeated measurements of frontalis electromyogram (EMO), hand-skin temperature, heart rate, respiration, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure were obtained during pre-drug, post-drug, acquisition, performance, and recovery periods. Measures of rate, percent error, and true error were obtained during the acquisition and performance components of the RAPP. Drug conditions (caffeine and placebo) and test orders (acquisition before performance and performance before acquisition) were pseudo- random across subjects. …

Television And Its Relationship To A Person's Character, Keri Lynn Phillips

Master's Theses or Doctor of Nursing Practice

The following study looked at the relationship between the types of television shows a person watches, either violent, neutral, or nonviolent, and his/her score on the Character Counts Questionnaire (CCQ), which measures a person's character and ethical values. Subjects were asked to complete the CCQ and rate on a five point bipolar scale, whether they enjoyed or did not enjoy watching the selected television shows. While using the CCQ, several problems were found and changes were made to overcome them. The most prevalent problem was that the original scoring method was so rigid it did not give a reflective measure …

The Relationship Of Coping Behaviors, Resurrection Beliefs And Hopelessness Scores Among Bereaved Spouses Of Hospice Patients, Michael E. Atkinson

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Hope is essential to effectively face the trials of life. One of life's most stressful trials is coping with the death of a loved one. Understanding coping differences may promote counseling interventions to benefit individuals who feel hopeless. The Beck Hopelessness Scale (Beck, 1974) and the Ways Of Coping Questionnaire-Revised (WOCQ-R) (Folkman & Lazarus, 1988), were used in a survey of 97 bereaved spouses of hospice patients to answer four questions: (a) Does a relationship exist between coping behaviors and levels of hopelessness? (b) Is there a relationship between resurrection beliefs and hopelessness? (c) Are differences in resurrection beliefs related …

Concurrent Validation Of The Affective Scale Of The Diagnostic Assessment For The Severely Handicapped (Dash) Scale, Richard M. Ostrom

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Sixty-nine severely and profoundly retarded ambulatory clients in a residential setting were administered the Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped (DASH) Scale. Three groups of 23 were selected based on previous psychiatric diagnosis and matched for social age. The first group contained clients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder; the second group contained a mix of non-affective psychiatric diagnoses; and the third group included participants with no psychiatric diagnosis. Six one way analyses of variance were conducted. All were significant. Post hoc analyses showed that the DASH effectively discriminated bipolar-disordered participants from those with no psychiatric diagnosis, but not those …

The Practicality Of Pre-Doctoral Prescription Training For Psychologists: A Survey Of Directors Of Clinical Training, Garret D. Evans

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Directors of Clinical Training (DCTs) at the nation's 164 APA-accredited clinical psychology programs iii were surveyed regarding their attitudes toward the hypothetical implementation of a sample pre-doctoral prescription training model created by the Ad Hoc Task Force on Psychopharmacology of the APA (1992). A 60% return rate (99 questionnaires) was achieved. Results suggest that the majority of DCTs (62%) remain equivocal regarding the implementation of such training at their program. A majority (62%) identify post-doctoral specialization as the preferred method of prescription training. DCTs' perceptions of benefits stemming from pre-doctoral prescription training served as the most potent predictor of …

Loss Associated With Chronic Illness: Application Of The Roy Adaptation Model, Linda M. Dehaan

Masters Theses

The Roy Adaptation Model guided this pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study to test an intervention addressing loss associated with chronic illness. Differences in adaptation and well-being were evaluated between control (n = 20) and experimental groups (n = 20) 30 days after intervention. Adaptation was measured by PAIS-SR scores and analyzed using ANCOVA to adjust for pretest differences. T-test and Mann-Whitney U was used to evaluate well-being as measured by the Global Well-being Scale. Changes in adaptation were not significantly different between groups, but well-being improved 12.8% in the experimental group as compared with 1.4% in the control group. Inconsistency of results …

The Effects Of Simultaneous And Successive Tasks And Knowledge Of Results On Add And Non-Add Children, Pamela J. Bishop

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Computerized continuous performance tasks (CPT) are often used to diagnose attention deficit disorders (ADD) The purpose of the present study was to continue the evaluation of a CPT developed from a psychophysical perspective. Specifically, two versions of a monitoring task (simultaneous and successive) were examined in the context of three conditions of knowledge of results (KR); KR to correct detections, false alarms, and irrelevant KR. Thirty children diagnosed with ADD and 30 without ADD performed two 9-minute monitoring tasks. Parents of the children were also interviewed with an adaptive behavior scale to investigate whether ADD children exhibit social functioning at …

Affective Reactions, Social Support And Willingness To Self-Disclose To Hiv Seropositive Individuals: Impact Of Sexual Orientation And Responsibility For The Infection, Susan Paige Sherburne

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

An attributional model of controllability suggests that perceptions of someone's controllability of an event lead to anger and rejection, whereas perceptions of uncontrollability lead to pity and helping. This study examined the impact of an HIV victim's sexual orientation and "responsibility" for infection on subjects' affective responses, self-disclosure to the person, social support, and liking and trust for the person. Subjects received messages from their "partner" (a confederate) stating that he had just learned he was HIV positive. The message either stated that he was heterosexual or homosexual, and that he had either only one partner or many partners. Subjects …

Mmpi And Rorschach Findings Of Individuals Approved For Gender Reassignment Surgery, Gregory Ralph Caron

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Both clinical experience and empirical data from psychological tests present a picture of extreme clinical variation among those individuals who request gender reassignment surgery. Results of past empirical studies utilizing the MMPI and the Rorschach Test have tended to be equivocal regarding the level and nature of psychopathology associated with samples of gender dysphorics. These past studies are considered limited particularly in terms of methodological problems related to statistical power. This present study examined the nature and degree of psychopathology in a sample of candidates approved for gender reassignment surgery as reflected on their MMPI-2 clinical scale values and scores …

Views Of Feminist Family Therapy: A Q-Methodological Inquiry, Bronwen Cheek

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The feminist critique of family therapy has had a growing impact on theory and practice for almost two decades (Hare-Mustin, 1978; Bograd, 1990). Writings on feminist family therapy (FFT) reveal both common and diverse opinions about what FFT is. The present study examined how views of FFT are segmented using Q-methodology (Stephenson, 1953; Brown, 1980; McKeown & Thomas, 1988), a small-sample empirical technique for identifying emergent viewpoints and studying their similarities and differences. A Q-sort instrument of 60 statements was constructed to sample diverse discourse on FFT. Magraw's (1992) interviews with leading experts in FFT served as a primary source …