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Effects Of Constant And Varied Input Orders On Transfer Of Recall And Output Consistency, Gerald A. Clausen

Psychology ETDs

A transfer design was utilized to test differential predictions, derived from a one-process contiguity model and a two-process organizational model, concerning what is learned in the free recall situation under conditions of constant input order, in which the serial order of the list items remains the same for each presentation, and varied input order, in which the order is rescrambled for each presentation. Half of the subjects received constant input during training and half varied. In the test phase, half of the subjects in each of these two groups continued under the same condition received during training, while the other …

Material-Specific Processes In Tactile Short-Term Memory, Christina Anne Meyers

Dissertations and Theses

Studies concerning tactile short-term memory (short-term memory or the sense of touch) have often been contradictory. Some of these studies support the existence of modality-specific tactile memory, a separate, independent storage system for tactile information. Other studies do not support such a system. Further, confusion has arisen regarding the tactile test materials, since many of them use common shapes which are easily labeled verbally. It is hypothesized that information which can be labeled is stored in material-specific verbal memory in the left hemisphere, while patterned or spatial information is stored in material-specific nonverbal memory in the right hemisphere.

This paper …

A Descriptive Study Of The Relationship Between Age And Problems Expressed By Women Seeking Out-Patient Mental Health Services, Linda M. Rodgers, Joyce Carey

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to provide a descriptive analysis of the problems presented by a specific group of women seeking out-patient mental health treatment and to relate these problems to the ontogenetic (age-related) developmental issues presented in a study of the literature. The researcher's involvement in this area developed from interest in current literature on adult development, and a personal commitment to life-long growth and acceptance of the inherent changes. In order to investigate whether developmental issues exist for this group of women, and if so to describe them, two distinct age groups--the decades of the 20's and …

An Analysis Of The Relationship Between Personality Characteristics Of Social Work Students And Choice Of Social Work Practice Area, Linda A. Yegge, Francie E. Buktenica

Dissertations and Theses

Due to curiosity about the "individual" vs. "social" intervention argument in the profession of social work, the authors of this study attempted to answer the question, “Do personality characteristics of Social Work Graduate Students influence their choice of social work practice?" Our hypothesis was that Introverts would be more inclined to focus on the individual in social work practice as opposed to Extraverts who would see societal change as a more pressing practice issue. Although our study identified no correlation between Introversion and Extraversion and social work practice orientation, there were some suggestions for further study. There appeared to be …

Electron Drift Velocities In Helium-Fluorine Gas Mixtures, Kaare J. Nygaard, John L. Fletcher, Scott R. Hunter, Stephen R. Foltyn

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Using a simple time-of-flight technique, we have measured the electron drift velocity in helium with 0.1-1% fluorine additive. Our results in a 0.1% mixture are in close agreement with data in pure helium. The measured drift velocity increases with increasing fluorine concentration. © 1978, American Institute of Physics. All rights reserved.

The Effect Of Background Noise On Children's Selective Listening Behavior, Cathryn A. Chartier

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the effect of distracting linguistic background noise on children's ability to perform three-part commands. A total of twelve first grade subjects, six "normal" and six reading delayed, were individually administered a series of twenty, three-part commands. Each child performed once in quiet and once in a noise environment, and the performances in those two conditions were compared.

Effects Of Cognitive Complexity, Stress, And Cognitive Style On Pauses In Spontaneous Speech, Daniel B. Matthews

Psychology ETDs

Changes in the location, duration, and frequency of pauses in spontaneous speech were studied as a function of two levels of cognitive complexity, two of situational stress, and three levels of a dimension of the subjects' cognitive style (scanning). Since pauses reflect the location in a sentence where cognitive activity takes place, their variation in numbers and length allow inferences about underlying speech production processes. Subjects were classified into three groups based on the extensiveness of perceptual scanning, a personality characteristic hypothesized to be related to speech production processes. Scanning style was evaluated by means of factor scores derived from …

Locus Of Control, Knowledge Of Ethics, And Perceived Ethicality As Influenced By An Authority Figure, F. Matthew Mihelic, William G. Connolly

Faculty Publications

The present study investigated the relationship between a subject's locus of control, knowledge of psychological ethical research principles, and perceived ethicality of a psychological research proposal as influenced by an authority figure. Subjects were asked to judge the ethicality of a research proposal, which half were led to believe had been previously deemed unethical by an authority figure. No mention was made of the authority figure's viewpoint to the other subjects. The major finding was that the variability in ratings in ethicality of the research proposal tended to diminished from the no mention to the rejection manipulation in those of …

Patient-Technique Orientation, Personality Factors, And Training Effects In Nursing Students, Gerald Case

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine if nursing students could be differentiated along a patient-technique nursing orientation continuum, and whether there would be a shift in the orientation of student nurses subsequent to participating in a training program for nurses. This study attempted to determine if personality traits could be used as predictors of the patient-technique orientation of the student nurses and if the personality of the student nurses remained stable over one year. Thirty-four student nurses in the two-year associate degree nursing program in a southern regional university were administered the nursing Pictures Interest Test (NPIT), the …

Wisc-R Short Forms For Identification Of Intellectually Sub-Normal Children, John Ward

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to develop short forms of the WISC-R for use in identifying children as intellectually average or below average. The national WISC-R standardization sample and a local WISC-R generalization sample were used. Both samples were restricted to those subjects with Full Scale IQ scores less than or equal to 100. Five different development procedures were used. Three procedures used stepwise multiple regression and two procedures used multiple discriminant analysis. The short forms developed by the multiple discriminant analysis were the most accurate. The administration time per subject was reduced but scoring complexity was increased. Usable, …

The Use Of Covert Reinforcement In The Modification Of External Locus Of Control, Vincent Rose

Master's Theses

An analogue study was conducted to test the clinical efficacy of covert reinforcement (Cautela, 1970) and to assess the role of behavioral .rehearsal in covert reinforcement. A secondary purpose was to determine the effects of image clarity, subject anxiety level and rate of extra session imagery on the therapeutic effect of covert reinforcement. Forty introductory psychology students who scored above 8 on Rotter's (1966) I-E scale were seen for four, fifteen minute sessions over a two week period. Subjects were divided into five groups: a covert reinforcement group, an overt reinforcement group, a behavioral rehearsal group, an activity control group …

Linguistic Surface Structure In Family Interaction, Thomas D. Macroy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the usefulness of the linguistic processes of Distortion, Deletion, Generalization, and Semantic Ill-Formedness as constructs which differentiate the verbal communication of families who express dissatisfaction with their current intrafamilial relationships from families expressing satisfaction with their current relationships. Specifically, it was hypothesized that dissatisfied families would use these linguistic structures to a greater extent in their interaction than would satisfied families.

Thirty-one family triads (father, mother, and child) were obtained by asking families randomly selected from the local high school student directory to participate. The families were given a Revealed Differences questionnaire …

Generalization Characteristics Of Form Diversity And Novel Form Production Among Preschool Children, Craig B. Boswell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The blockbuilding, Lego construction, pen drawing, and painting of four preschool children were analyzed in terms of the construction of form diversity and new form production. Social descriptive reinforcement, contingent on the production of any form not previously constructed within the current session and overt modeling of forms never seen produced during the study, increased form diversity scores per session and new form production (forms never seen before in the child's total prior sequence of blockbuilding sessions).

The results indicated that after training, form diversity scores generalized to topographically similar and dissimilar media of expression. New form production generalized to …

The Impact Of Television On Mother-Child Interaction And Play, Eva L. Essa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Television is a pervasive influence in today's family life. The number of hours family members, particularly young children, spend watching TV must replace some other functions in the viewer's lives. Since one of the primary tasks of families with young children is the socialization of their youngsters, one might assume that TV interferes to some extent with this process. Among aspects of the socialization process are the need for the child to observe and interact frequently with role models, to obtain ample feedback on the appropriateness of his behavior, and to have many opportunities to test out what he has …

A Comparison Between A Clinical Sample Of Parents And Non-Parents, As Reflected By Their Scores On The Mmpi, Thomas Kearney, Casey Wegner

Dissertations and Theses

The area of childlessness, particularly voluntary childlessness, has been virtually ignored by most researchers. Pohlman claims to have been unable to find research which supports the popular idea that intentionally childless husbands and wives tend to be emotionally disturbed. However, he does note that he was able to find numerous statements from medical and social science publications which in various ways imply that the deliberately childless are usually maladjusted.

The Contribution Of An Educational Phase To The Stress Inoculation Of Anxiety, Robert Steven Hadfield

Master's Theses

All subjects were selected from introductory speech classes at the University of Richmond. A public speaking fear survey was given to all students at the beg inning of the semester. Construct validity of this survey has been established by discriminating anxious from non- anxious people. Students scoring above the median were invited to participate in a workshop on dealing with the stress of public speaking. Subjects who accepted the invitation were assigned to one of four groups: stress inoculation with education (Combination) , stress inoculation without education (Skills only), education without stress inoculation (Education only), or a no treatment control …

An Attempt To Identify Moderators Of Complex Task Performance During And After Crowding, Robert Harry Robinson

Student Work

Future environments are being designed now and the psychologist must contribute his share to ensure that these environments are pleasant livable ones. As Ehrlich (1968) has elegantly pointed out, overpopulation is perhaps the most pressing problem modern man faces. Indeed, the world's population is growing rapidly. From 6,000 B.C. to 1650 A.D. the world's population grew from about 5 million to 500 million, doubling approximately every thousand years. By 1850 it had reached one billion (doubling in 200 years), by 1930 it had reached 2 billion (doubling in 80 years) and recently doubling time has been estimated at 35 years.

Symmetry Versus Asymmetry In Paired-Associate Learning: A Test Of The Dual Coding Theory, Jerry Manheimer

Student Work

The dual coding theory of imagery (Paivio, 1975) holds that there are two independent coding processes: Imaginal processes and verbal processes. Imaginal processes, in effect, present information ’’all at once" to the organism. Verbal processes, according to the dual coding theory, are characterized by a sequential mode of organization. Sequentially organized information is processed temporally by the organism, with meaning contingent upon the order of processing. The proposed thesis seeks to test the validity of Paivio's dual coding theory of imagery through the paired-associate learning paradigm.

The Relationship Between Goal Attainment And Self Concept For Assertive Training Groups, Lori Peterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between self-concept and goal attainment for assertive training groups. To determine if self-concept is related to the extent to which one's goals are attained was of major interest. Another purpose was to determine if self-concept measures increase as a result of participation in group assertive training.

Subjects were 67 volunteers, students from Utah State University, and Cache Valley, Utah, community members.

Subjects were administered as pretests and posttests the Tennessee Self Concept Scale and the Goal Attainment Scaling procedures including the Behavioral Monitoring Progress Record.

Three groups were formed: 1) …

The Effect Of Inescapable Shock On Competitive Dominance In Rats, Pamela A. Cheney

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Experimental examination of the generality of learned helplessness has previously been confined to treatment and tests employing aversive motivators, such as electric shock. In the present study, rats were used to evaluate the effect of inescapable shock on their performance in a water test of competitive dominance which employs no aversive motivator. The subjects were paired and pre-tested for competitive dominance. In the experimental groups one member of each pair was treated with inescapable shock and the pairs were then post-tested for competitive dominance either 48, 72, or 168 hours after treatment. The control subjects were pre- and post-tested with …

A Life Satisfaction Test As A Measure Of Motivation, Gladys F. Barker

Theses

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of The Act Automated Admissions System As Perceived By The High School Counselors In Utah, James Rodney Clark

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The ACT automated admissions system was adopted by the Colleges and Universities in the Utah system of higher education in 1974. The automated admission system was conceived at a time when College enrollment all over the United States was decreasing, and thus was viewed by its proponents as a positive step in alleviating some of the articulation problems between post secondary institutions, high school counselors and prospective students.

Educators who developed the program felt that it would be an advantage to prospective students by providing an admissions decision shortly after the ACT was taken. Automated admissions appears to be an …

A Method For Meeting Psychosocial Needs Of Institutionalized Elderly, Mary Pardue Abrahams

Theses

Not available.

The Temporal Distribution Of Short-Duration Keypecks In Variable-Interval Schedules Of Reinforcement, Joseph G. Williams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

An experiment was conducted in order to determine the duration of pigeons' keypecks during three separate variable-interval schedules of reinforcement. Pigeons were exposed to variable interval (VI) 30 sec, VI 60 sec and VI 120 sec schedules of reinforcement for twenty sessions each. Response durations were analyzed in terms of VI schedule, location in time during the inter-reinforcement interval and any pattern of short and long duration pecks. Mean duration of response was reliably different for three out of four birds for VI 30 sec and VI 120 sec schedules of reinforcement. The VI 30 sec schedules produced longer durations. …

The Use Of Self-Control Procedures With Pre~Adolescents Classified As Educable Mentally Retarded, Lizabeth A. Mcgill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effectiveness of self-recording and self-reinforcement procedures implemented in the classroom setting with six pre-adolescent children classified as Educable Mentally Retarded was determined relative to changes in on-task behavior. A multiple baseline design was used and each subject was exposed to both a self-recording procedure and a self-reinforcement procedure. After an initial baseline period, three subjects were exposed to self-recording first, and three subjects went through self-reinforcement first. Contingent reinforcement was not provided for accuracy in either self-recording or self-reinforcement patterns. Observations were conducted to investigate generalization effects of each procedure, and two weeks of follow-up observations were conducted to …

Money Saving By Children: The Effects Of Interest And Instructions, James Thomas Northrop

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In two experiments, groups of children received interest money contingent upon their savings; yoked control subjects received identical interest irrespective of their savings. In the first experiment, interest was paid every 3 days by parents for the average savings of the period. In Experiment II, interest was paid on a daily basis and control subjects received instructions concerning the lack of a relationship between interest and their savings.

In both experiments savings and magnitude of expenditures increased systematically across the research phases for contingent and non-contingent interest subjects alike. Neither interest nor subject wealth was found to relate to subject …

The Modification Of Emotionally Disturbed Behavior Through Teacher And Peer Training, Daniel James Kaeck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of the present investigation was to develop and field test a practical program for the mainstreaming of behaviorally disturbed childred into regular fifth-grade classrooms. The 10-day training program emphasized the training of both teachers and peers as therapeutic agents. It focused upon the teachers' behaviors in terms of establishing classroom rules, praising and ignoring, minimizing reprimands, individualizing instruction, and providing naturally-occurring reinforcers to the children. The program enlisted the aid of the peers in terms of utilizing them as tutors, models, and as reinforcing agents or therapists. The children were taught to self-monitor their attention to appropriate and …

The Effects Of Assertiveness Training On Marital Adjustment, Valerie H. Mead

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of assertive training on the marital adjustment of those participating. It was of particular interest to identify the effects of training wives only as compared to training couples jointly in assertiveness.

There were a total of 56 subjects sampled for this study, constituting 28 marriages, all investigated for marital adjustment. All of the subjects were volunteers and were obtained through the Women's Center at Utah State University. The subjects were placed in one of two treatment conditions depending upon the condition for which they volunteered. The wives only treatment condition …

Factors Affecting The Conditioned Reinforcing Strength Of Stimuli In Differential Reinforcement Of Other Behavior And Fixed-Time Schedules, Alexander M. Myers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two experiments were conducted in an attempt to provide a direct, response-independent test of the delay-reduction hypothesis of conditioned reinforcement. In both experiments, pigeons made observing responses, by pressing a treadle, for stimuli associated with the schedule component in effect. The consequences of an observing response were varied; an observing response produced: a) either the stimulus associated with the shorter component or the stimulus associated with the longer component depending on the schedule component in effect; b) the stimulus associated with the short component only; c) the stimulus associated with the long component only; or, d) neigher stimulus (no consequence). …

Influence Of Clinicians' And Clients' Religion On Diagnosis Of Mental Illness, Robert Dombey Wadsworth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Theorists propose that because psychodiagnosis is not a completely objective procedure, it is influenced by sociocultural values. It was hypothesized that religion might be one aspect of sociocultural values which influences psychodiagnosis. The present study sought to determine, by using a clinical analogue design, whether psychologists' formal diagnoses of clients are biased by their present religious affiliations and activity levels, their religious upbringing (assessed by their fathers' and mothers' religious affiliations and activity levels), the clients' religious affiliations and activity levels, or interactions between psychologist and client religious variables. Questionnaires were sent to 228 psychologists licensed to practice in Utah, …