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

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Sixty-nine severely and profoundly retarded clients in a residential setting, each of whom could ambulate without staff assistance, 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 group with no psychiatric diagnosis served as the nominal control. The second group contained a mix of non-affective psychiatric diagnoses. The third group contained clients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. A one-way analysis of variance was conducted. The data demonstrated the DASH effectively discriminated clients with bipolar disorder from those without psychiatric as …

Lesbian Identity Development And Career Experiences, Mary Jo Thiel

Dissertations

This study used a qualitative research design to explore the experiences of lesbian women with respect to identity development and career issues.

Using the Stage Allocation Measure (SAM) (Cass, 1984), twenty lesbian women who were in the Synthesis Stage (Stage 6) of identity development were identified. In face-to-face, one and a half to two hour interviews, using a semi-structured interview guide developed by the researcher, respondents were asked open-ended questions about their coming out process and their career development .

Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed and the transcripts were analyzed using grounded theory coding techniques. Themes and patterns were …

Identification Of Variables Influencing Women's Breast Cancer Detection, Sherri Duckworth Kemp

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study investigated the variables influencing women's breast cancer detection behavior. Using social learning theory as an organizing framework. factors influencing women's decisions to seek breast cancer detection and the respondent's personal demographics were examined for their contribution to explaining women's decisions to seek breast cancer detection.

A [convience] sample from a university medical center provided data for the study. Data were gathered with a voluntary questionnaire. A total of 25 employees from the medical center participated in the study during the winter quarter of 1994.

The findings of the study provide insight into some of the variables affecting women's …

Students Against Driving Drunk (Sadd): Testing The Organization's Effects On Students' Behavior And Attitudes Toward Alcohol Use, William Post Jr.

Masters Theses

This research examines the influence of Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) chapters on the reported behavior and attitudes towards alcohol use of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students in 208 public school districts in Michigan. This research is conducted at the intersection of social movement theory coupled with self-help group issues; theoretical approaches to explaining adolescent alcohol use; and SADD's etiological assumptions about adolescent alcohol use as derived from the organization's activities. These lead to comparing two types of SADD chapters (active and inactive) to school districts without SADD chapters, using students' (N=92,257) responses to the Michigan Alcohol and Other …

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Parents Of Traumatic Brain Injury Patients, Carol Farr

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) produces cognitive, behavioral, and affective deficits with resulting problems such as improper social behavior, increased aggression, emotional, personality and characterological changes. The impact upon the survivor, the sibling, as well as the parental subsystem has been well documented in the literature. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been diagnosed in several different types of trauma survivors, although rarely have individual psychological symptoms been studied in parents.

This research examined the possible vulnerability factors that are associated with TBI and their potential influence upon PTSD symptomology. Questionnaires were mailed to 266 parents of TBI patients with a response …

Attachment And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Severity In Physically And Sexually Abused Adolescents, Lauren Woods

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The relationship between symptoms associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and attachment was assessed. All students (n=109) at a residential school were screened for a history of physical or sexual abuse. Thirty-seven subjects who reported such a history, ranging in age from 11 to 19, were assessed using the Children’s Post-Traumatic Stress Reaction Index (CPTSD-RI), Bell Object Relations and Reality Testing Inventory (BORRTI), Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI). Results indicate that attachment difficulties were common in this sample and that current diagnostic criteria for PTSD did not …

Examination Of Knowledge And Attitudes About Human Sexuality As Predictors Of Adolescent Sexual Behavior, Diane Waymire

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study investigated the variables influencing adolescent sexual behavior. Using cognitive learning theory, social learning theory, and social development as an organizing framework, factors influencing adolescent sexual behavior and the respondent's personal demographics were examined for their contribution to explaining adolescent decision-making about sexual activity.

A convenience sample of high school students from a Riverside county school district provided data for the study. Data was gathered by using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 55 students from two of the three school sites within the district participated in the study during the winter quarter of 1995.

The findings of the …

Somatization As A Coping Style In Families, Joseph A. Lipetzky

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study addresses two questions relating to somatic family interaction. The first question is: What is the prevalence of somatic family interaction in a non-clinical sample? The sample consisted of 500 volunteer families obtained by sequential door to door solicitation in Newberg, Oregon, 25 miles southwest of Portland, Oregon. There was a 32% response rate within this area (n = 161) consisting of Caucasian, Hispanic (5%), and oriental families (2%). There was a full range of economic, educational levels and family sizes. The prevalence rate of somatic family interaction was found to be consistent with other research at approximately 21%

A Comparative Study Of Integrity Tests: The Effect Of Situational And Individual Variables On Response Distortion, Nannette Shayne Searles

Dissertations and Theses

The paper-and-pencil integrity test, which is used in industry as an employee selection device, has been largely developed outside the mainstream of psychological testing. The result has been that some testing programs have inadequately standardized testing conditions and/or other safeguards to ensure valid test results. Studies have shown that response distortion, or faking, is a problem with all types of tests, integrity tests being no exception. A correlation between the construct underlying integrity testing, such as the personality trait of conscientiousness, has yet to be investigated.

The primary purpose of the present study was to determine how response distortion on …

Impact Of Television Violence On Young Minds In An Urban Setting; An Introspective Study, Nirupama Sagar

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

An institution such as broadcasting affects and is affected by the society, which encompasses the viewers and listeners it serves. The increase in crime and violence and the fear of crime may actually help explain the popularity of TV violence. Media violence has been a topic of popular interest right from the fifties, when television was still being applauded as one more of those human marvels. Therefore, for my study, I will concentrate on television, a medium that involves both the visual and hearing senses and to which young people are particularly drawn. The sample for this study involved five …

A Case Study On Elective Mutism Using A Consultation Model, Nancy Reeves

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In the present case study, shaping/desensitization procedures, along with behavioral contracts, were implemented through a consultation model in an attempt to treat a seven year-old elective mute female within the school setting. The author (consultant) provided information to the subject's teacher (consultee) in order to treat the subject's elective mutism. The procedure consisted of trials using a sound-level meter to successively approximate the desired behavior of speaking at school. The goal was for the subject to respond verbally to questions and requests invoked by her teachers and peers within the school setting and to improve her social interactions. The results …

A Functionalist Approach To Emotions, Julien Guillaumot

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

There are at least two ways in which emotions can be conceptualized. The first, and most widespread, one is the cognitive approach which implies the presence of internal processes or psychological mechanisms. The cognitive approach says that emotions are the result of evolutionary processes. The second approach is behaviorological. It states that emotions are learned and are nothing more than behaviorological and physiological events. Both approaches, even if different, have an extremely important effect on our world because they may help make societal decisions and therefore manage our environment in a better way. As we will see, though, authorities do …

Socio-Cultural Variations In Interactions: A Study Of Children With Disabilities And Their Mothers, Elina O. Alexandrova

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This investigation compared interaction behaviors of African-American and European-American mothers with children who had or were at medical risk for disabilities as measured by Maternal Behavior Rating Scale (MBRS; Mahoney, 1992). The relationships between these mothers' interaction ratings and three groups of independent variables (mother/family demographic characteristics, measures of family functioning, and child characteristics) were also examined. T-tests were used to examine the differences between the two groups. Significant differences were found on SES variables, particularly income. Samples were restricted to those with incomes of $32,500 or less. Analysis of covariance procedures were performed using race and family structure as …

The Effects Of Therapist Gender On Group Therapy For Eating-Disordered Clients, Todd A. Soutor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This present study examined the session-by-session content of group therapy for eating-disordered clients. The main objective of this study was to identify how therapist-client gender match affects group therapy process , regarding the disclosure of important issues relevant to eating-disordered clients. It was hypothesized that the group therapy process for eating-disordered clients would be qualitatively different if therapy was facilitated by a female as opposed to a male therapist. The evaluation of the research question required using an alternating treatments single-subject research design, in which the presentation of treatment conditions was counterbalanced across two therapy groups. The treatments consisted of …

The Efficacy Of A Self-Administered Cognitive Behavioral Treatment Program For Body Image Dissatisfaction In Women With Subclinical Bulimia Nervosa, Ellen N. Emerson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Subjects for this study were 40 women (N = 40) with subclinical bulimia nervosa who were randomly assigned to either a Cognitive Behavioral Treatment group (CBT) or to a waiting list control group. Treatment was provided for 8 weeks in an individual, self-administered format, using an audio-taped treatment package for Body Image Dissatisfaction (BID). Cognitive behavioral treatment focused on changing negative thoughts and feelings about one's body. No specific treatment focused on changing eating symptomatology or concomitant symptoms, although these were assessed. The waiting list control condition received assessment, followed by 8 weeks of no treatment. Treatment outcome measures …

Who's More Cruel, Johnny Or Jenny? Sex Differences In Adults' Perceptions Of Cruelty To Animals By Children, Teresa Michelle Thompson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

As a symptom of Conduct Disorder, cruelty to animals (DSM IV, 1994) is often assessed via parental checklists (e.g., Child Behavior Checklist). However, little information exists on the criteria that adults use to make judgments of cruelty.

The Effects Of Critical Thinking Skills Training On Student Performance In An Educational Psychology Class, Eric J. Gee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Critical thinking skills have become an important part of current educational practices. However, there is little empirical evidence comparing the effectiveness of the programs teaching these skills. In addition, there are questions as to whether the skills should be taught within the class content or separate from the class content.

This study assigned students attending labs as part of an educational psychology class to two experimental conditions (content-based and content-free) and a control condition. Measures were scores on lab papers and test scores for the class. In addition, an attitude survey was used to assess student attitudes to each condition, …

Taxonomic Or Thematic : Categorization Of Familiar Objects By Preschool-Aged Children, David Owen Calhoun

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To acquire language, children must learn how to categorize objects on the basis of the meanings that cultures have assigned to the objects. A series of six experiments tested how preschool-aged children categorize familiar objects. Each experiment used a matching-to-sample format in which children matched pictures of familiar objects (comparisons) to a sample stimulus picture. The sample and one comparison related taxonomically (on the basis of similar features) and the other comparison related thematically (on the basis of function) from which the children were to find another stimulus that was the same as the sample. Each experiment was a systematic …

The Efficacy Of Massed Versus Distributed Practice As A Function Of Desired Learning Outcomes And Grade Level Of The Student, Vanessa D. Moss

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The study examined the extent to which type-of-practice strategies (massed or distributed) had an effect on learning a verbal information (reading) or intellectual skill (math) task for second- and fourth-grade students. One hundred and ninety students from eight second- and fourth-grade classrooms participated in the study. Classrooms were randomly assigned to the two practice conditions and all students participated in a 9-week integrated learning system (ILS) intervention.

The present study found that intellectual skill tasks are learned slightly more effectively in a massed than distributed practice mode, though the difference was not statistically significant. Students also learned verbal information tasks …

Establishing The Validity Of The College Adjustment Scales (Cas) As Outcome Measures In A University Counseling Center: A Test Of Construct And Convergent Validity, Denise K. Wiswell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The College Adjustment Scales (CAS) are a multidimensional psychological measure designed specifically for use in college and university settings. The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of the College Adjustment Scales (CAS) to function as outcome measures in university counseling centers. Study 1 assessed the ability of the CAS to track change following brief therapy using a nonequivalent control group design. Study 2 assessed the convergent validity of the CAS by correlating two of the nine CAS scales with two established measures. The results of a three-factor MANOVA revealed that the CAS were able to track change …

An Analysis Of Item Bias In The Wisc-R With Kainaiwa Native Canadian Children, Deborah Faith Pace

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study examined the responses of 332 Kainai students ranging in age from 6 to 16 years to the Information, Arithmetic, and Picture Completion subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) in order to determine the validity of these subtests as a measure of their intelligence. Two indices of validity were assessed: (a) subtest unidimensionality, and (b) order of item difficulty. With regard to the assumption of unidimensionality, examination of the data indicated low item-factor loadings on the Information, Arithmetic, and Picture Completion subtests. Examination of difficulty parameters revealed a nonlinear item difficulty order on all three …

A Psychometric Evaluation Of Five Commonly Used Measures Of Family Functioning And How They Correlate With Development Of Children With Disabilities, Matthew J. Taylor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In response to the increased emphasis in early intervention on assessing family functioning, there has been substantial effort over the past 15 years to develop instruments that can measure important aspects of family functioning with families of children with disabilities. While the multitude of recently developed family measures has given researchers and clinicians a variety of instruments from which to choose, research on the quality of the data derived from these instruments has lagged behind. Considering the importance of family functioning in current early intervention programs and the potential impact on the type of intervention delivered, further investigation of the …

An Investigation Of The Construct Validity Of The Preschool And Kindergarten Behavior Scales, Clarice E. Jentzsch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A relatively recent measure, the Preschool and Kindergarten Behavior Scales (PKBS), has been developed to measure both problem behavior and social competence in young children. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the construct validity of the PKBS through the application of several validation procedures. Results of the study support construct validity of the PKBS. In a discriminant analysis, the PKBS classified correctly 89.36% of the 94 subjects. A secondary purpose of this study was to examine social-emotional behavior differences between kindergarten students who were divided into different behavioral status groups based on a teacher nomination procedure: a …

Meta-Analysis Of Home Visiting Research With Low-Income Families: Client, Intervention, And Outcome Characteristics, Christopher H. Morris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Leaders in the field of home visiting and family support research have indicated that the inclusion of home visiting in comprehensive services for low-income families with young children can play a key role in improving a wide variety of outcomes for at-risk children and their families. These recommendations have been based in part on selected empirical findings from the home visiting literature. However, synthesis of empirical findings has proven difficult, due to the heterogeneity of this population and the diverse applications of home visiting as a service delivery strategy.

The present meta-analysis examined a representative sample of the peer-reviewed literature …

Gender And Depression: Analysis Of The Effects Of Sex Roles, Sex-Role Self-Discrepancy, And Attributional Style, Scott V. Cutler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of attributional style, sex roles, and sex-role self-discrepancy in the relationship between gender and depression. Epidemiological studies report a higher incidence of depression among women then men (approximately 2:1). Among the various theories suggested to explain this gender difference, sex roles, attributional style, and self-discrepancy have been conceived as possible explanations. The relationship between gender and depression may be better understood through examining the possible contribution of these three independent variables.

To examine these theories, a sample of 130 subjects was drawn from clients at the USU Counseling Center, the …

A Meta-Analytic Review Of Studies Examining The Effects Of Childhood Sexual Abuse In Women, Sheryl A. Dagang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Childhood sexual abuse is a prevalent problem that impacts adult women and the mental health professionals who treat them. Decades of studies have been conducted examining the impact of childhood sexual abuse in order to be better able to treat clients with this history. Yet, few clear guidelines have resulted from these activities.

In order to gain a clearer picture of this research, a meta-analysis was conducted on 41 published studies to describe the nature of the problem, the subjects involved in these studies, the measures used to determine effect, and the impact of eight variables that potentially mediate the …

Cross-Generational Similarities Between Mothers' And Daughters' Abnormal Eating Behaviors, Kimberly K. Bushman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was an investigation of the similarities and differences between mothers' and daughters' self-reported eating and dieting behavior. Also investigated was actual eating behaviors of mothers and daughters after consuming a milk shake preload presented as containing the caloric equivalents of one average meal.

Thirty-five mothers and their sixth-grade daughters completed a series of self-report instruments including the Bulimia Test-Revised, the Revised Dietary Restraint Scale, and the Anorexia-Bulimia Inventory. Subjects then individually completed a contrived ice cream taste test, which involved consuming a milk shake preload prior to tasting vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream. The relationship between mothers' …

Common Dimensions Of Social Skills Of Children And Adolescents: A Review And Analysis Of The Literature, Paul Caldarella

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Previous research in the area of social skills of children and adolescents has resulted in confusion over the number and name of empirically derived dimensions. While much work has been done to derive empirically based taxonomies of child and adolescent problem behaviors, such is not the case for positive social behaviors. The present study conducted an extensive review, analysis, and synthesis of over two decades of factor analytic research on child and adolescent social skills to derive an empirically based taxonomy.

Results suggest five dimensions that occurred in over one third of the studies: Peer Relations, Self-Management, Academic, Cooperation, and …

The Relationship Between Depression And Anxiety, And The Personality Traits Of Dependency And Self-Criticism, Douglas E. Craig

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relationships between depression and the traits of dependency and self-criticism are well documented in the research literature. However, relatively few studies have investigated anxiety in relation to the two traits. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship each trait has with general anxiety and with social anxiety. Also, because depression and anxiety overlap, a multivariate analysis examined the relationships among the trait and mood constructs while accounting for the overlap between constructs. Subjects completed the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (assessing dependency and self-criticism), the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Fear of Negative Evaluation …

The Treatment Utility Of The Therapeutic Reactance Scale In Relation To Single Session Hypnosis For Smoking Cessation, Gregory N. Vaughan

Dissertations

This study examined the efficacy of three different hypnotic suggestion scripts each delivered in a single session of hypnosis for smoking cessation as mediated by reactance scores on the Therapeutic Reactance Scale (TRS) (Dowd, Milne, & Wise, 1991). Consecutive clinical trials were used to assign 48 subjects to treatment groups such that an equal number of subjects received: (1) direct suggestions, (2) suggestions that refrained the problem, (3) suggestions not specifically related to smoking cessation, and (4) a delayed treatment waiting list. Each subject rated the believability of treatment efficacy on a Likert type scale.

Four categories of the dependent …