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Use Of An External Inhibition Procedure In The Treatment Of Spider Phobic Subjects, Jerome D. Gilmore

Theses and Dissertations

This research represented an extension of previous work on the therapeutic application of the external inhibition phenomenon, and sought to examine the effects of such a procedure on the verbal- cognitive, motoric, and physiological components of the anxiety response. To accomplish this, subjects were selected and treatment effects evaluated on the basis of changes elicited in each of the three response modalities by a specific fear stimulus, The relative effectiveness of the external inhibition treatment in modifying the multiple components of the anxiety response was examined by a comparison with procedures controlling for expectancy effects and repeated exposure to the …

Empirical Correlates Of The Spiritual Well-Being And Spiritual Maturity Scales, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Mechanisms Of Energy Balance In Obesity, Mark R. Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

The proper understanding of obesity requires a multifaceted approach. Behavioral considerations of eating and activity patterns do not account for the large between- and within-subjects variance associated with the energy-balance equation. Sources of adaptive and dispositional variance in metabolic rates are reviewed and suggested to be a likely source of importance for the proper conceptualization and intervention of obesity. Five proposed mechanisms of metabolic variation are reviewed with consideration of the supporting evidence for each mechanism. The generalizability of some of the proposed mechanisms is limited because of the scope of past research. However, the roles of lipoprotein lipase in …

Preference Under Concurrent Mixed Fixed-Ratio Fixed-Ratio Schedules Of Reinforcement: Control By Intracomponent Ratio Length, Earl Hall-Johnson

Masters Theses

Previous studies using concurrent variable-interval variable interval schedules have suggested that molar, not molecular variables primarily control choice responding. These studies examined pigeons performance under discrete-trial concurrent mixed fixed-ratio fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement. When each alternative provided two reinforcements per 100 responses, pigeons preferred the alternative containing the shorter initial fixed-ratio. Subsequent studies attempted to shift preference through manipulations of ratio requirement and reinforcement duration in either alternative. Preference was shifted from the mixed fixed-ratio fixed-ratio only when the reinforcement associated with the first component was eliminated. Under all other conditions, pigeons preferred the mixed fixed-ratio fixed-ratio schedules with the …

Input Frequency And Perceived Impact Of An Interactive Newsletter In A Small Organization, Patricia Calle

Masters Theses

A newsletter, based on the results of two tailor-made self-report questionnaires, was implemented in a vegetable by-product manufacturing company with 83 employees. Need for improvement was detected in the formal communication of organizational policies, projects, goals and events for downward and upward communication relative to performance feedback, non-monetary performance incentives, and response to job-related and personal requests. The newsletter was aimed at facilitating the supply of verbal incentives, performance feedback, formal and informal organizational information and participation in different areas. Prompting procedures were designed to encourage employees' participation in the newsletter. Newsletter impact was analyzed in terms of pre- and …

The Cultural Roots Of Behaviorism, Juan Mario Herakovic

Masters Theses

This thesis traces some of the economic, social, religious and political events that played an important role in the development of behaviorism in the United States. The effects of the Enlightenment, the dislocation of moral and social values, the decline of religion, political upheavals and increased immigration, are seen as destabilizing elements in American society. Emphasis is placed upon the specific values of the American society, and the way in which these values remained constant throughout the social history of the United States. As such, behaviorism represents a scientific approach to the historical continuity of ideas within the nation.

Personality, Sex, And The Neuropsychology Of Attention, Peter A. Williamson

Theses and Dissertations

The influences of sex and personality on attentional style were examined in two neuropsychological studies in which perfor mance and event-related potentials (ERP's) were employed. Pribram and McGuinness1 (1975) conceptions of Activation and Arousal were recast in a lateralized framework in which the former was seen as characteristic of left hemisphere function while the latter was identified more closely with the right hemisphere. Four equal groups of nine subjects were selected on the basis of sex and ex treme extraversion scores (I-E), while controlling for neuroticism, to participate in two lateralized attentional tasks. The first, a vigilance task designed to …

Aircrew Training Devices: Utility And Utilization Of Advanced Instructional Features (Phase I-Tactical Air Command), Donald J. Polzella

Psychology Faculty Publications

An Aircrew Training Device (ATD) is not merely a flight simulator. It is also equipped with sophisticated hardware and software capabilities, known as advanced instructional features (AIFs), that permit a flight crew instructor to control, monitor, and record flight simulation training sessions. A survey conducted at five of the principal Tactical Air Command ATD sites revealed that few instructors receive extensive training in AIF use and that most features are not used very often. Several factors appear to have contributed to the low rate of AIF use. These factors include hardware and/or software unreliability, time-consuming implementation, functional limitations, and design …

The Effects Of Personal And Organizational Variables On Union Membership And Instrumentality Perceptions, Carole E. Barclay

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Accident Process: Crisis Intervention For The Industrially Injured, Karen W. Sharpe

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the concept of the accident process plays a significant role in determining the course of treatment for the industrially injured. The accident process suggests that underlying psycho-social factors may result in the occurrence and/or maintenance of a state of disability. This disabled state provides greater needs satisfaction for the individual than his habitual behavioral repertoire. the development of the accident process suggests a state of crisis, either as a result of chronic difficulty or an acute reaction to sudden onset of illness or injury. Total rehabilitation of the individual is facilitated by a crisis intervention approach.

Employee Perceptions Of Performance Appraisal Systems: Causal Determinants Of Fairness, Accuracy, And Acceptability, Michael Dale Secunda

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop an initial model of employee perceptions of performance appraisal systems which would integrate available literature and provide a point of departure for future research endeavors. To accomplish these goals, this study had three objectives: (1) integrate the large body of literature to develop constructs that adequately describe employee perceptions of appraisal processes and systems, (2) integrate these constructs into a causal model that is consistent with current literature, and (3) test the model using linear structural modeling.

Seven constructs hypothesized as representing various aspects of employee perceptions were conceptualized and operationalized, and …

The Effects Of Goal And Feedback Specificity Of Task Performance, Emily Johnson Hawes

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

A three (goal type and level) by three (type and level of knowledge of results) factorial design was implemented with nine subjects per cell. Goal factor levels were: Numeric goal, percentage increase goal, and do best goal. Knowledge of results (KR) factor levels were: Numeric KR, percentage increase/decrease KR and no KR. KR manipulations affected perceived knowledge of performance standing„ but there were no significant effects on performance. Goal effects on performance were significant (p

Beyond 'Formal' Vs. 'Informal' Education: Uses Of Psychological Theory In Anthropological Research, Claudia Strauss

Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research

For at least the last ten years cross-cultural research on the cognitive consequences of education has been dominated by the theoretical dichotomy between "formal" and "informal" education. The paradigm of formal education is the style of schooling developed in the industrialized West. It has been defined as any form of education that is deliberate, carried on "out of context" in a special setting outside of the routines of daily life, and made the responsibility of the larger social group. "Informal education" refers to education that takes place "in context" as children participate in everyday adult activities. It is the predominant …

Book Review Forum On Bradd Shore's Sala‘Ilua: A Samoan Mystery, Thelma S. Baker, James R. Bindon, Jacob Wainwright, Bradd Shore

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Richard M. Moyle's Review Of Steven Feld's Sound And Sentiment: Birds, Weeping, Poetics, And Song In Kaluli Expression, Richard M. Moyle

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Drinking And Assertiveness In College Students, Ernest Small

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The relationship between drinking patterns of college students and their measured level of assertiveness was examined in this study. The subjects were categorized into six groups based on their self-reported frequency and amount of drinking. They were also asked to record the number of drinks they had drunk in the prior week. The MacAndrews Alcoholism Scale and the Rathus Assertion Schedule were administered to all the subjects. Pearson Product-moment correlations were calculated to assess the relationship between levels of drinking, the number of drinks in the prior week and scores from the Rathus Assertion Schedule and the MacAndrews Alcoholism Scale. …

Growth Rates: Influence Of Prednisolone, Sex And Crowding In Rats, Karen M. Allen

Masters Theses

Growth inhibition As frequently noted in the chronically ill child. Causes of such growth rate decrements appear multiple and include both internal and environmental factors. The present study analyzed growth of rats by manipulation of glucocorticoid treatment, housing conditions and sex of subject in a search for potential interactions. Specifically, body weights were assessed daily in post-weanling male and female Spraque-Dawley rats which received 16 daily I.P. injections of prednisolone acetate (0.0, 2.0, or 4.0 mg/kg) under either individual or group-housed (6/cage) conditions. Effects of dose and of sex were found, while a main effect of housing was lacking. Interactions …

The Effects Of An Instructional Package On Study Question Completion Skills Of High School Students, Jeffery David Montgomery

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to empirically evaluate the effects of an instructional package on study question behaviors. The instructional package, incorporating contingent reinforcement, modeling, feedback, contingency contracting and a programmed instruction format was implemented to train four study question answering behaviors identified through task analysis. Each subject demonstrated ability to perform the four behaviors with increased accuracy on experimental measures following training. Results indicated that the instructional package was effective in training increased accuracy in each instructional behavior for each subject. Generalized performance of these behaviors in the classroom environment, assessed through comparison of classroom grades and study …

Behavioral Management Of Multiple Food Aversions Of A Multiply Handicapped Child, Steven A. Stang

Masters Theses

Several behavioral treatments utilizing the delivery of preferred food with praise contingent upon consumption of nonpreferred foods were evaluated with a multiply handicapped child who exhibited multiple food aversions. Behavioral assessments of food preferences were used to identify preferred and nonpreferred foods and to monitor changes in the subject's preferences for nonpreferred target foods relative to other foods.

Following the implementation of treatment contingencies, a modest increase in the consumption of one nonpreferred target food, and substantial increases in consumption of a second nonpreferred target food, milk, other foods appearing on the lunch menu, and essential nutrients were observed. In …

The Use Of Feuerstein’S Instrumental Enrichment With Underprepared College Students: A Pilot Study, Michael Kieta

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This pilot study investigated the usage of Feuerstein’s (1980) Instrumental Enrichment with underprepared college students. Open admissions policies in colleges and universities have resulted in the enrollment of many students who are underprepared to meet the academic task demands. Courses have been developed by the colleges and universities to remediate the academic deficits of underprepared students. Remedial courses using traditional educational methods have been largely ineffective. Cognitive process instruction (CPI) is an area of educational research that recently began to receive increased attention in the field of remedial education. The goal of CPI has been to develop the cognitive/thought processes …

Locus Of Control In Voluntary And Involuntary Psychiatric Patients, Christopher B. Karegeannes

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Psychiatric inpatients, consisting of 32 males and 33 females between the ages of 15 and 58 completed Rotter's (1966) Internal-External Locus of Control (I-E) Scale. The scale was administered individually to the patients at both admission and discharge, at the Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) in Orlando, Florida. Analysis of variance was used to determine whether there were significant differences due to commitment status (voluntary and involuntary), diagnosis (thought and affective and other disorders), and change scores (admission versus discharge). The hypothesis that involuntary patients would produce significantly higher scores was not confirmed. Further, no significant difference was found due to …

The Adult Client's Conception Of Confidentiality In The Therapeutic Relationship, Philip O. Toal

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The adult client's conception of confidentiality in the therapeutic relationship and the valuing of this confidentiality was examined and defined in this paper. The importance of confidentiality and its effect on the therapeutic process was explored. Many professionals in the field of mental health believe that confidentiality is a critical factor in the successful outcome of therapy (Hayt, 1977; Lowenthal, 1968; Reynolds, 1976; Tancredi & Slady, 1975). It is viewed that confidentiality is expected by clients when entering into a therapeutic relationship, and is essential in the therapeutic process. The variables that may affect the client's conception of, attitudes toward, …

Work And Leisure Attitudes Among Health Services Personnel, Robert C. Frink

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between work and leisure satisfaction using Shepard's Status Recognition Model. The sample was made up of two groups of health services personnel each of which contained three work levels or groups: a support group, a clinical group, and an administrative group. Assuming that status recognition would be different for the low status jobs (support) and high status jobs (clinical and administrative), it was hypothesized that the high status group would display low work related alienation and thus show a positive correlation between work and leisure satisfaction (evidence of a spillover mechanism). The lower status group …

Social Sensitivity In Adolescents And Adults With Learning Disabilities, Patricia Anne Jarvis

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to investigate social sensitivity and self-concept in students with learning disabilities and their non-disabled peers. Thirty students each from Junior and Senior public high schools and a community college in Tidewater, Virginia participated in the study with 15 learning disabled and 15 non-disabled students from each of the three grade levels (N-90). Students were individually assessed in 50 minute interviews for their accuracy in interpreting the thoughts and feelings of actors in tape-recorded stories depicting two adults in happy, angry, anxious, and sad interactions. A questionnaire measuring self-concept in learning situations as a …

Dynamic In-Patient Therapy: A Team Approach, Le Van Cao

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The paper reports on the philosophy and clinical results of an individualized but concentrated team approach to hospitalized patients undergoing a psychological crisis. The team focuses on the patient’s key vital coping technique as the source of his vulnerability and assists the patient toward constructive self-understanding. The approach favors maximum therapeutic benefit from a short hospital stay. Follow-up of the first fifteen cases managed by this method discloses a significantly low percentage of relapse and rehospitalization, and demonstrates that even such relapses can be turned to therapeutic benefit.

The Correlation Between Expressive Language Delay In Children And Their Motor Abilities, Gail G. Cunningham

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the present study was to determine the correlation between expressive language delay in children and their gross and fine motor skills. Twenty children five years through six years, eleven months with a diagnosed expressive language delay, were selected to participate in the study. Each was screened on the basis of normal hearing, receptive vocabulary skills, motor functioning, and an expressive language delay of one year or more. After screening procedures, each child was administered the Preschool Language Scale-PLS (Zimmerman, et al., 1969) and the short form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-BOMP (Bruininks, 1978). …

The Effects Of Age & Education On Personality Consistency, Craig Sparks

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study attempts to determine the influence of age and education on the consistency of one's responses to items on various personality inventories. It was hypothesized that with increased age and education, people develop more stable and coherent personality structures. This results in more internally consistent responses to the personality measures used in this study (e.g., the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, the Dogmatism Scale, and the Private Self-Consciousness Scale). Alpha reliabilities showed that only three of the eight scales gave a positive relationship between age and internal consistency, while only two of the eight scales were supportive of a positive …

The Effects Of Neutral And Sex-Specific Terminology On Sex Stereotyping, Natalie J. Malovich

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A study was conducted to examine the effects of neutral and sex-specific terminology on sex stereotyping in regard to two primary questions: 1) whether or not the use of sex-neutral terminology alters subjects ' associations to particular words, and 2) whether, in the absence of gender identification, subjects make traditional sex-role assumptions about neutral terms. A third questions examined potential differences in male and female subjects' responses to neutral and sex-specific terminology.

Using a semantic differential technique, 40 male and 40 female volunteer subjects described a number of occupations and roles identified by sex-specific or sex-unspecified labels. Descriptions of those …

Use Of Radio To Provide Models And Reinforcers In Behavior Therapy: Increasing Compliant Behavior In Retarded Children, Richard Warner

Student Work

Our age is an electronic one; electronic gadgetry has proliferated in the home, and modern media devices, especially radio and television with their continuous barrage of information and programming have been long taken for granted. Children learn much from radio and television, acquiring a variety of information from these electronic sources which is reflected in their dress, speech and musical preferences (Haney & Ullmer, 1975; Potter, 1978a Reeves & Miller, 1978). Indeed a great deal of controversy has become associated with determining what sorts of things children have been learning from media (e.g. Lefrancois, 1973). It is estimated young children …

The Relationship Between Ego Identity Status, Conformity Behavior, And Personality In College Students, John Harold Ryan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relationship between conformity behavior and the four identity statuses as operationalized by Marcia was studied in 80 college students. Also, various personality characteristics were studied relative to their discernability by identity status and their relationship to conformity behavior. As sex difference was a major consideration in the study, the sample was divided into 40 males and 40 females ranging in age from 18 to 25 years. Statistical analysis indicated there were no significant differences between identity statuses relative to conformity for either males or female s. In addition, very few personality characteristics were indicative of conformity for either sex. …