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A Study Of Positive Practice Overcorrection Versus Time-Out For Eliminating The Classroom Disruptions Of Relatively Normal Children, Johnny L. Matson

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to compare two mild punishment techniques, positive practice overcorrection and time-out, for decreasing talking out and out of seat behavior in relatively normal children. Other variables considered were the practicality of administering positive practice and time-out, the generalization of the technique to other problem behaviors, and emotional side effects resulting from the administration of the techniques. The hypotheses formulated and tested considered which technique most effectively decreased target behaviors and what effect these treatments had on social interactions of treated children. Subjects were 18 males and two females between six and nine years of …

Stable Baselines For Single-Subject Experiments, Gerard Robert Brost

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Signalled And Unsignalled Response-Independent Electric Shock On A Food Reinforced Baseline: The Effects Of Shock Intensity And Reinforcement Shock Pairings, Jose Carlos Simoes Fontes

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Self-Reinforcement In The Classroom: Assessing Efficacy, Durability, Prior History And Unmerited Self-Reward, Mark Henry Lewis

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Cognitive Differentiation In Conceptual Systems Theory, Mary Flume

Student Work

A cognitive approach to theory and research in personality proposes that individuals develop relatively enduring cognitive schemas for experiencing and organizing their .social world. Cognitive schemas are templates through which information is filtered or transformed.

It may be understood that cognitive personality theory emphasises the structure of cognition rather than its content. Such an emphasis is based on the assumption that structural variables are relatively enduring and invariant across situations, whereas the content of personality is expected to fluctuate markedly. Cognitive personality theory should provide the researcher with an efficient basis for describing the actions of a person and lead …

Memory For Persons, Encounters And Sex, William Sturgill

Student Work

Recognition of previously seen persons and recall of the circumstances of their encounter were tested in a situation' where subjects were unaware of the subsequent recognition task. Subjects encountered four: persons, one of each sex. in. two separate encounters. Prior to a lineup one week later, only 51 subjects (N = 145) failed to' recall either the number and/or the sex of the persons encountered, while only 28. correctly recalled both the number and sex and that it was two different persons in each encounter. Results from the lineup confirmed, previous suggestions that subjects (N = 155) are better able …

The Effects Of Extrinsic Reinforcement On Previously Non-Reinforced "Preferred" Play Activities, Tanea Calou

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Validation Of A Test Battery And Biographical Data Used To Select Key-Punch Operators, Michael F. O'Toole

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

On The Analytic Foundations Of Behaviorism, Samuel Yaffe

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Treatment Of Insomnia Through Eidetic Imagery: A New Technique, Anees A. Sheikh

Psychology Faculty Research and Publications

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 …

The Effectiveness Of Various Omission Training Procedures As A Function Of Reinforcement History, Mary Patricia Brockman

Student Work

This experiment analyzed the relative effectiveness of three forms of omission training (OT 20 sec, OT 5 sec, and gradual OT with a time-dependent criterlor) in reducing a bar press response following three different reinforcement histories. Thirty-six children between the ages of 4% and 11 years were initially trained to press a bar according to a VR 35 schedule of reinforcement. The different omission training conditions were introduced directly following the VR 35 baseline, following a lengthened history of VR, and following a DRL intervention condition designed to enhance the effectiveness of the OT condition.

Variations Of Sexual Stimuli And Subject Personality Variables In Immediate And Delayed Paired-Associate Learning, Flynn O'Malley

Psychology ETDs

Previous research using affective stimuli in learning and· memory tasks has yielded conflicting results regarding the effects of such stimuli on performance, and there has been little research employing affective photographs in such tasks. The present study was conducted in order to determine the effects of highly explicit sexual photographs of individuals used as stimulus terms in the immediate and delayed paired-associate (P-A) learning of college students. Of particular interest was the extent to which high arousal would differentially affect immediate (Session 1) and delayed (Session 2) P-A performance. The research consisted of a stimulus scaling study and three experiments. …

Therapist Warmth As A Factor In Automated Relaxation Training, Kenneth Dittmar

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Automated relaxation training was administered by two therapists, each using a warm and cold voice. A self relaxation group which heard the warm or cold voice but no relaxation instructions were used as a control (a 2 X 2 X 2 factorial design: therapist I - therapist II; warm — cold; relaxation instructions — self relaxation). The effectiveness of the procedures was measured by reduction in physiological level of arousal (EKG and EMG) and self report. No physiological differences were found. The self report measure was significantly reduced for the groups who heard the warm voice.

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 …

About Us...: A Primer In Psychology For Junior High School, Kay Lyou

Student Scholarship

Unavailable.

The Relationships Between Maternal Locus Of Control, Maternal Iq & Infant Development, Vernon Westrich

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A group of mothers and their infants enrolled in a rural child development center served as the subjects for this study. This investigation was designed to study the relationships between maternal locus of control, maternal IQ and their effects upon an infant's rate of mental and motor development.

Locus of control was measured by a newly developed I-E scale designed for use with populations of low reading levels and low intelligence levels. The mother's IQ was measured with the PPVT, an instrument that yields passive, verbal intelligence scores. An infant's level of development was assessed with the Bayley Scales of …

The Influence Of Multiple Variables On The Protestant Ethic Effect, Gloria Rice

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Research has shown that under certain conditions an organism will prefer to work for a reward rather than freeload for the identical reward. Length of barpress training, type of reinforcer, and strain of rat have all been shown to affect work behavior. Six Wistar and six Max Hooded rats were assigned to one of three treatment conditions. They earned either a water or a sucrose reinforcer for 5, 7, or 10 days. The rats were given two days of barpress shaping. Following barpress shaping, they completed 5, 7, or 10 days of barpress training. Training was followed by three days …

The Relationship Of Age & Marital Status To Affiliative Imagery & Fear Of Success In Women, Brenda Francis

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Horner postulated the existence of an avoidance motive called the motive to avoid success and suggested that many women experience anxiety about achieving success because they expect negative consequences as a result of succeeding. Horner's fear of success concept has been widely cited as an explanation for the lack of stability and predictability in research on female achievement motivation. Recent research by Tomlinson-Keasey has demonstrated much lower fear of success in older, married college women than in a younger, single group. This finding was attributed to the age difference between the married and single groups, but more specifically to role …

The Effects Of A Sympathiomimetric Stressor On The Protestant Ethic Effect In Rats, Peter Mirabelle

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In an experiment which investigated the effects of stress on the Protestant Ethic Effect (PEE) 12 Wistar rats were trained for 20 days to barpress for their total water intake. Following training the rats were divided into two groups and were allowed to choose between barpressing for a 10% sucrose solution and consuming a freely available sucrose solution under either stress or nonstress conditions. Stress was defined as a .01 cc per 36g body weight injection of norepinephrine. The stress and nonstress conditions were counterbalanced during the choice session. Regardless of stress order both groups preferred the free over the …

Development Of The God Concept In Children: An Exploratory Study, Dennis Feeley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A study was designed to explore the developmental relationship between early childhood concepts of parent and more adult concepts of God. It attempted to identify the age at which absolute attributes such as omnipotence and ubiquity are taken away from parents and assigned to God. Based on both the theories of Freud and Piaget it was predicted that the transition will occur between the ages of four and eight. Forty children were administered an interview questionnaire and two short stories all of which depicted an attribute or characteristic which is traditionally viewed as being associated with God. Both techniques were …

Development Of The God Concept In Children: An Exploratory Study, Dennis Feeley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A study was designed to explore the developmental relationship between early childhood concepts of parent and more adult concepts of God. It attempted to identify the age at which absolute attributes such as omnipotence and ubiquity are taken away from parents and assigned to God. Based on both the theories of Freud and Piaget it was predicted that the transition will occur between the ages of four and eight. Forty children were administered an interview questionnaire and two short stories all of which depicted an attribute or characteristic which is traditionally viewed as being associated with God. Both techniques were …

A Survey Of Apa Members' Attitudes Concerning Dual Relationships, Gary P. Sazama

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The American Psychological Association (APA) has constructed the Ethical Standards of Psychologists to serve as a guideline for the therapeutic behavior of its members. Collective literary opinion suggests that a code of ethics be constructed from the attitudes and values of the associations members and the attitudes and values of the society in which these individuals practice.

The purpose of this study was twofold. First, it attempted to determine the attitudes of APA members concerning Section 6a of the 7th Draft of the Ethical Standards of Psychologists which deals with the practice of dual relationships. Second, this study attempted to …

A Three Step Strategy For Training A Beginning Teacher To Use Positive Social Reinforcement In The Classroom, Robert D. Morris

Master's Theses

The purpose of the study was to measure the effectiveness of a three-step strategy designed to modify a classroom teacher's consequating behavior. In Step 1, a group contingency game was introduced into the classroom to reduce talk-outs and out-of-seats. In Step 2, the game was supplemented by observer instructions and feedback to the teacher concerning her consequating behavior. The purpose of the feedback was to increase teacher approval for appropriate behavior and to decrease teacher disapproval for inappropriate behavior. In Step 3, the group contingency game was removed but the teacher continued to receive feedback on her consequating behavior. Therefore, …

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 …

Reduction Of Self-Injurious Behaviors In Retardates Using A Spray Mist, Michael F. Dorsey

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

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

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.