Digital Commons Network^™

Patient Satisfaction With Psychiatric Hospitalization: A Social Exchange Theory Approach, Jan H. Nelson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

During the past decade patient satisfaction with mental health treatment has become an important issue in research. Administration of patient satisfaction surveys has become a standard practice in treatment and therapy in order to evaluate and improve treatment programs and services. This study examined patient satisfaction in inpatient psychiatric hospitalization based on two social exchange theories. These theories are Kelley and Thibaut's (1978} interdependence theory and Rusbult's (1980) investment model. Fifty inpatients at a state psychiatric facility were given a questionnaire designed to assess satisfaction and commitment based on costs, rewards, investments, comparison level, and comparison level for alternatives. Reliabilities …

Moratorium On Maltzman: An Appeal To Reason, Mark B. Sobell, Linda C. Sobell

Faculty Articles

Maltzman's comment on Cook (1985), which appears elsewhere in this issue, is an unveiled attempt to resurrect the same allegations about our research that he made 7 years ago. None of the allegations are new! Over the past 7 years, those allegations have been the topic of 5 separate inquiries, in each of which we were vindicated. In this response, we review the multiple inquiries and we show how Maltzman continues to (1) cite our work out of context, (2) make false assumptions about the inquiries and our procedures and (3) disregard evidence contradicting his assertions. He relies on data …

The Predictive Value Of Mmpi Personality Style In Obesity Therapy, Jeffrey J. Harvey

Student Work

The present study assessed whether psychopathology influences obese subject’s ability to lose weight. The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was used to differentiate between 46 pathological and 52 nonpathological subjects. A repeated measures analysis of variance did not support the hypothesis that the degree of weight loss is negatively associated with the amount of psychopathology measured by the MMPI. In addition, an analysis of covariance was conducted in an attempt to control for possible confounding factors at the start of treatment and also failed to support the hypothesis.

The Effects Of Age & Practice On The Speed Of Processing In The Functional Field Of View, Francis Frey

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Previous studies have indicated that the useful or functional field of view is a dynamic visual measure. Specifically, it has been shown to constrict as a function of increasing ago, decreasing target duration, decreased conspicuity, and to expand as a function of practice. Two possible explanations for the age-related decline were examined: (1) older observers have a deficit in selective attention which prevents them from ignoring irrelevant information, thereby making a target lees conspicuous, and (2) the time required to process a given visual area increases with age. The purpose of this study was to determine which of these explanations …

Principal Transfer In Urban Manitoba School Divisions: Superintendent And Principal Perceptions Of The Transfer Process And Its Intended And Actual Succession Effects, Brian David Boese

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived value of principal transfer by examining and describing superintendent and principal perceptions of school division transfer processes and of anticipated and actual succession effects. Five superintendents and ten principals--the superintendent, one elementary principal, and one secondary principal from each of five of the ten metropolitan school divisions located in Winnipeg, Manitoba--were interviewed by the researcher. The superintendents described one of two general types of transfer used in moving principals--a long-term career/organizational development process and a short-term vacancy chain process. The principals reacted to these descriptions and gave their perceptions of …

Temporal Discrimination Training Of Adults With Traumatic Brain Injury Using Computer-Based Operant Procedures, Robert Edward Obrecht

Masters Theses

Computer-based interresponse time (IRT) and matching-to-sample (MTS) procedures were employed in two experiments to assess and effect changes in temporal discriminations made by adults with a history of traumatic brain injury. The results of Experiment One support the interpretation that maintaining correct IRT > t performance was a function of stimulus conditions that included signalled IRTs, values of t less than 3-seconds, a contract agreement to maintain performance, and other contingencies not explicitly part of the design. The results of Experiment Two, that minimal response latencies on MTS tasks are mediated equally well by an experimenter's verbal prompting as well as …

Compliance With Universal Precautions By Health Care Workers In A Rural Community Emergency Room, Jane E. Devries

Masters Theses

Performance feedback has been used in various organizations to correct problems in the areas of safety, customer service, absenteeism, and tardiness. The present research examined the effects of performance feedback to increase compliance with universal precautions in an emergency room department. Four subjects (Registered Nurses) were observed for glove wearing in any of six different situations common to the emergency room. These included cleaning instruments, cleaning a laceration, giving an injection, phlebotomy, inserting an intravenous catheter, and obtaining and/or transporting specimens other than blood. A multiple baseline experimental design was employed in this study. Results indicated that performance feedback increased …

Application Of Library Least-Squares Analysis To Human Whole-Body Counter Spectra Derived From Low Level Gamma Emissions, Hang-See Ong

Theses and Dissertations

The method of library least-square analysis (LLSA) has been applied to gamma ray spectra obtained from the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center whole body counter. The validity of the method was tested under various conditions. Mathematical formulation of the method is presented along with a detailed description of the computer program algorithm used. Special features, schemes and pitfalls of the computer program (or the method as a whole) are discussed in detail

Use Of Visual Phonics In The Remediation Of Children's Phonological Disorders, Diane E. Dacquay

Theses and Dissertations

Investigations within the field of child phonology- have been concerned with the acquisition of a phonemic repertoire as well as the developmental rules for combining phonemes sequentially. Children acquire the adult phonological system by simplifing their productions through the application of phonological processes. Speech-language pathologists target phonological processes for remediation when they are atypical of children's developmental stage or when the processes are unusual in form.

A recently developed hand symbol system called Visual Phonics (1985) may enhance the remediation of phonological processes. Support for this proposition comes from studies which have incorporated, with some success, the use of manual …

Construct Validity And Development Of Local Norms In The Assessment Of Adhd., Rose Ternes Hunter

Student Work

A pilot study was performed to determine the validity of on-task behavior and locally developed attention tasks# to assist in the identification of children with ADHD. Subjects were third grade students in the Hampton City Public Schools. Means and standard deviations were computed for time-on-task as well as number correct and number committed for each of five separate attention tasks. A correlation analysis was performed to compare results of attention tasks with each other as well as with the Abbreviated Conners Teacher's Scale (ACTS), a Hyperactivity Index, and IQ. Results were in the expected direction, although correlations with ACTS were …

The Effects Of Life Stress And Risk-Taking Style On Risk Perception And Driver Performance, Christine B. Philput

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effects of risk-taking style, stress level, and highway environment on driver performance. In Phase I, 50 subjects were assessed for risk-taking style and stress level. In Phase II, the same subjects were presented with slides of traffic situations that varied in terms of risk of accident. This was a paired comparison task in which they rank-ordered ten highway sites, producing a measure of subjective risk. No significant relationships were identified between these subjective risk judgments and objective data regarding those sites (accidents and fatalities), though this is most likely due to problems with the slide presentation. …

Person Perception As A Function Of Sex And Age, Leslie Borland

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This experiment was designed to explore the effects of sex and age on impressions. The 228 volunteers ranged in age from 18 to 87 years. Subjects were asked to report impressions, using the PPQ, about fictitious targets who were systematically varied according to sex and age. A 2 (Sex of Subject) x 3 (Age of Subject) x 2 (set of Target) x 2 (Age of Target) ANOVA was performed on ratings of likability, adjustment, femininity, masculinity, and androgyny. Older subjects received and gave the highest ratings. Middle-aged subjects gave lower ratings to all targets, but discriminated least. Young subjects were …

The Predictive Validity Of The Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory To Assess Borderline Conditions In Adolescents, Juan Mario Herakovic

Dissertations

This study examined the predictive validity of the Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory (MAPI) (Millon, Green & Meagher, 1982) to evaluate Borderline Personality Disorder in adolescents. The hypothesis is that the MAPI tends to overdiagnose Borderline Personality Disorders. The origin of the term is placed first within the framework of psychoanalysis and its evolution through other theoretical constructs is then discussed. The concept of Borderline is surrounded by imprecise terminology which contributes to the confusion of a clinical diagnosis. While there is a movement in mental health to provide a more precise and behaviorally oriented description of this disorder, current explanations …

The Effectiveness Of Relaxation-Visualization Training On The Natural Killer (Nk) Cells Of Breast Cancer Patients, Morry Edwards

Dissertations

A large number of studies have found that stress qualitatively and quantitatively reduces a variety of immune components. Several recent studies have examined relaxation skills and their ability to increase immune measures. The primary hypothesis of this project was that relaxation-visualization training (RVT) would enhance Natural Killer (NK) Cell Activity. Two other major hypotheses were generated: (a) RVT would produce beneficial psychological effects and, (b) increased psychopathology would be inversely correlated with NK levels. Six volunteer breast cancer patients who were at least 3 months post treatment were taught a passive form of relaxation that included visualizing an increase in …

Misfit Between Motivational Style And Type Of Job Demand As A Factor In Developing Occupational Stress, Arlene Gray Blix

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Occupational stress is costly in terms of human suffering and impaired organizational effectiveness. Occupational stress involves the interface between the individual worker and the work environment. The purpose of the study was to analyze the fit between motivational style and the type of job demands as a contributing factor in developing occupational stress symptoms. A literature review of occupational stress models was conducted. The six models compared and contrasted included the Person-Environment fit model (French, Rodgers, & Cobb, 1974), Integrative Transactional Model (Schuler, 1982), Organizational Stress Models (Ivancevich & Matteson, 1987; Parker & DeCotiis, 1983), Facet Analysis Model (Beehr & …

Religious Commitment As A Predictor Of Health Behavior And Health Status In A Selected Population, Donald George King

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Religious beliefs and behaviors are multidimensional and they profoundly determine the ways we respond to health and illness, suffering and death. Researchers have designed numerous scales to measure different dimensions of religious commitment, beliefs and behaviors. A thorough review of the literature has shown general relationships between religion and health, but no researcher has developed an instrument measuring dimensions of religious commitment specifically relevant to health behaviors.

In this study, scale items were developed to measure three dimensions of religious beliefs thought by Kenneth Vaux (1976) to be related to health behavior--purity of life, peace in existence, and belief in …

Attributions Of Responsibility Among Caregivers Of The Frail Elderly: Predicting Formal Service Use, Richard Troyer

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A review of the research on family caregivers of the frail elderly indicates that although caregivers often experience high levels of burden, they make only minimal use of available professional, or formal, services. A theoretical model of helping and coping proposed by Brickman, Rabinowitz, Karuza, Coates, Cohn, and Kidder (1982) suggests that attributions of responsibility for causing and for solving problems define four distinct attributional styles, each determining how people will respond to outside help. The current study of 40 family caregivers attempted to validate an attribution instrument based on the Brickman et al. (1982) model, and to determine whether …

Relationships Across Training Programs, Professional Titles, And Perceptions Of Therapy Performance, Debra E. Anderson Bach

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the perceptions of students training to be counselors, clinical psychologists, and social workers, regarding the professional titles of counseling psychologist, psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, and social worker. A videotaped counseling session of a therapist and a client, a client description, and a therapist description served as the stimuli. The professional title of the therapist varied in the therapist description and served as the independent variable. One hundred three subjects were grouped according to their training program and then randomly assigned to one of the four treatment groups differentiated by the professional titles of counseling psychologist, …

Psychosocial Effects Of Juvenile Rheumatic Disease : The Family And Peer Systems As A Context For Coping, Jennifer Ann Harris

Master's Theses

The psychosocial effects of juvenile rheumatic diseases and disease activity were examined among 24 families (12 with a rheumatic disease child, 12 with no chronic illness). Rheumatic disease children were paired with a healthy control child nominated by their classroom teacher. Family and child functioning was assessed through measures of stress, competence, coping, and adjustment while observations in the classroom were made to assess peer relations. MANOVA's and ANOVA's were performed to determine significant differences. Families with a child with inactive rheumatic disease tended to be less likely to seek out and accept help, more likely to put activities into …

The Frequency Of Occurrence Of Phonemes In The Speech Of Aphasics, Rita M. Vis

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to investigate the phoneme selection patterns in the spontaneous speech of Broca's and Wernicke's aphasics. The frequency distributions of phonemes for the aphasic subjects was compared to the normal distribution curve of English consonantal phonemes. Differences in the frequency of occurrence of phonemes subsequent to neurological impairment may be linked to the nature of the impairment. In addition, this study described and compared the occurrence of phonological processes in the single word responses of the subject groups. The frequency of phonemes and the occurrence of phonological processes were then analyzed jointly for possible trends.

Analysis of …

Changing Accessibility For Tourism In The Aurland Municipality Of Norway, Kari Brekke

Theses and Dissertations

Because of changes in accessibility, the Aurland Municipality in Western Norway may be subjected to increased tourism. In 1991, an all-season highway will open between Oslo and Bergen, which will pass directly through the Aurland Municipality. The shift in importance from mostly seasonal rail/fjord traffic to an all-season automobile traffic has the potential for accelerating tourism pressures in this highly scenic area. The purpose of this study was to address possible problems and prospects of changing accessibility for tourism in the Aurland Municipality.

In order to examine tourism in the Aurland Municipality, a number of methods were used. Fieldwork was …

Adolescent Norms For The Eating Disorder Inventory As Related To Personal Variables In Female Adolescents At One Private Urban, One Rural, And One Semi-Rural High School, Betty J. Larson

Theses and Dissertations

The societal preference for a slender body image has caused an increasing number of adolescents to diet or use unusual methods of weight control. Some adolescents progress along the continuum of restrained eating toward the development of pathological eating disorders. In order to identify risk factors in the development of eating disorders, eating attitudes and behaviors of 454 normal adolescents were studied by using the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) and a personal background questionnaire. The higher the subscale scores on the EDI the more similar the individual's perceptions to those of victims with a pathological eating disorder.

With the exception …

Personification Of Death, Mary M. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the primary personifications of death as perceived by college students. One hundred fifteen students from private and public institutions of higher learning were invited to participate in the study. Surveys from one hundred nine were useable. The questionnaire consisted of a demographic survey, factors related to an individual's experience with death and death education, and a research instrument known as the Death Personification Exercise

Of the four pr;..iary personifications, the Macabre (a dark and fearful oeing) and Automaton (an unemotional being) were present most frequently. Out of 109 students, thirty one students …

The Survivors: A Comparison Of Bereavement Experiences Following The Suicide, Accidental, Or Natural Death Of A Spouse, Terence W. Barrett

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare bereavement experiences of suicide survivors with those of other survivors. The primary focus of investigation was upon grief reactions suggested to be unique to suicide bereavement and upon quality of grief resolution two to four years after death. Fifty-seven women and men, between ages 24 and 48, who had experienced the death of a marital partner were interviewed. Subjects were assigned to one of four groups by cause of death (Suicide, Accident, Unanticipated Natural, and Expected Natural). The categories of death served as the independent variable. Dependent variables were total grief reactions, …

A Guide In Working With Elementary-Aged Navajo Children Of Alcoholic Parents, George Ray Henry

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

Programs which provide intervention services for children of alcoholics are very new and in their developing stages nationwide. Despite this, the need for such programs exists, particularly on the Navajo Reservation. All available literature was reviewed that relates to the state-of-the-art in programming for intervention with children of alcoholic parents. Programs in use with children are described and the rationale for adapting such programs for use with Navajo children is discussed. A Navajo intervention pilot program for children of alcoholics is outlined.

Public School Preschool For Disadvantaged Children: Program Quality And Long-Term Effects, Ellen Frede

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Although preschool for disadvantaged children is strongly supported nationally as a beneficial endeavor, the research that underlies this support has mostly been limited to small-scale, high-quality experiments. Some have questioned the ability of public schools to provide similar experiences for young children and to produce long-term effects. This study is a long-term follow-up in first-grade children who attended preschool in a statewide public school program. The classrooms were observed to assess the quality of treatment. It was determined that children who attended classrooms that provided medium- to high-quality experiences outperformed those in poor-quality classrooms, as well as comparison children who …

Psychosis In A Developmental Psychopathology Context: A Factor Analytic Study Of Schizophrenia In Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatients, Paul R. Adams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Demographic, historical, psychometric, and clinical data were obtained from the psychiatric files of all patients manifesting schizophrenic symptomatology who were hospitalized in an adolescent psychiatric facility during a five year period (N= 71). Factor analysis of the usable data resulted in three interpretable factors, which included: (1) aggressive behavior; (2) disturbed family functioning; and, (3) thought disorder. Age of first hospitalization correlated positively with factor three.

The results provide support for concerns expressed by a number of scientists and clinicians that schizophrenia may not be a discrete, unitary disorder; and that uncritical downward extension of adult diagnoses to adolescents and …

The Reliability And Validity Of An Instrument Designed To Measure Attitudes Toward The Elderly, Jane Schultz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An attitude is a mental state that influences the way an individual responds to relevant objects and situations. Attitudes toward the elderly have a potential impact on all Americans, as the population is growing older. These attitudes constitute an important area of study because their nature is unclear and their impact extensive.

The Kogan Attitudes Toward Old People Scale (OP) was examined to establish reliability and validity estimates. A questionnaire, consisting of this scale and four others, was administered to a sample of adults. Factor analysis of the OP revealed two factors, which were somewhat ambiguous. Internal consistency estimates for …

Socio-Behavioral Correlates Of 6- To 11-Year-Old Offspring Of Alcohol Consuming Parents, Jan Garver Bacon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There is a lack of simple random sample based research into whether there are social skill and behavior problem differences for six- to eleven-year-old boys and girls which correlate with rates of parental alcohol consumption, social sequelae of parental alcohol consumption, reported level of marital conflict, and extended family history of alcoholism.

This simple random sample study correlates the above variables with T scores on the behavior problem and social competence scales of the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist and Child Behavior Checklist - Teacher's Report Form for six- to eleven-year-old children (N=100). Behavior problem scales include disorders of affect, thought, …

Mental Status And Functional Behavior In Male Geriatric Patients, Gregory Lee Mayer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It was the goal of this study to examine the ecological validity of a number of measures of mental status for geriatric individuals. Subjects were 40 alert, ambulatory male VA patients. Mental status instruments included the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) and the Vocabulary subtest of the WAIS-R. Measures of functional behavior included the Woodcock-Johnson Scales of Independent Behavior (SIB) and the Parachek Geriatric Behavior Rating Scale (PGBRS). Significant relationships were found between the MMSE and the SIB, between the WMS and the SIB, and between the WMS and the PGBRS. It was found that estimation …