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The Effects Of Positive And Negative Retrieval Cues On Release From Retroactive Interference, Michael P. Etgen

Master's Theses

The following study examined the effects of positive and negative retrieval cues within a release from retroactive interference design. Predictions based upon a modification to the cue-overloading hypothesis were evaluated. Subjects were 79 Introductory Psychology students. They learned two lists, each composed of four-legged animals, and were tested for recall of the originally-learned list. Informed subjects were supplied with a retrieval cue for the interpolated list to provide a release from retroactive interference. All subjects were further divided into those who were released by becoming aware during original learning and those who were not. Comparisons revealed a reliable and comparable …

Aging And The Truth Effect In Validity Judgment, Sue Lindsey

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

It is sometimes necessary to make validity judgments about information with which we are unfamiliar, because we have no factual knowledge about the event. Under these circumstances, subjective evidence, such as whether the statement has been seen or heard in the past, may be used to judge validity. Previous research has shown that the repetition of unfamiliar, but plausible statements increases the judged validity of the statements. In other words, the more one hears a particular statement, the more one believes it to be true. The present study has been designed to explore this "truth effect." The first experiment examined …

The Effects Of Positive And Negative Retrieval Cues On Release From Retroactive Interference, Michael P. Etgen

Master's Theses

The following study examined the effects of positive and negative retrieval cues within a release from retroactive interference design. Predictions based upon a modification to the cue-overloading hypothesis were evaluated. Subjects were 79 Introductory Psychology students. They learned two lists, each composed of four-legged animals, and were tested for recall of the originally-learned list. Informed subjects were supplied with a retrieval cue for the interpolated list to provide a release from retroactive interference. All subjects were further divided into those who were released by becoming aware during original learning and those who were not. Comparisons revealed a reliable and comparable …

The Effects Of Social Competition Of The Economic Behavior Of Rats, Jennifer D. Johns '94

Honors Projects

Recent studies have shown that the law of supply and demand describes behavior on simple Variable Interval (VI) schedules. When the quantity of reinforcement supplied is large, animals will "pay" less for the reinforcer than when quantity supplied is small. These studies, however, feature organisms responding alone in operant chambers, without the social competition which economists argue drive the law of supply and demand. The present series of experiments examine the effects of social context on the economic behavior of rats on VI schedules. Rats responded on a pseudo-randomly assigned sequence of VI schedules differing in reinforcement rate. During half …

An Assessment Of Four-Hour Sample Durations Used To Determine Full-Shift Noise Exposures In A Foundry, Vince Marlo Fleming

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

Full-shift sampling, usually eight hours, is traditionally performed to assess daily occupational noise exposure. This sampling approach is inefficient, and costly for repeated, long-term exposure evaluations. This study assessed the use of four-hour sample durations and subsequent data analysis to determine daily occupational noise exposures in a foundry. The four-hour sample durations were extracted from full-shift samples and analyzed on their ability to provide valid data for estimating mean daily noise exposure levels without significantly affecting sampling precision or accuracy. Results of this study indicate four-hour sample durations can be used successfully to estimate full-shift noise exposures provided certain criteria …

The Situational Interview As A Measure Of Intelligence, Deborah F. Goodman

Student Work

The employment interview has traditionally been regarded as having low reliability and validity for predicting job performance. This assumption has been challenged recently by research findings which indicate improved reliability and validity for structured interview formats (Arvey & Campion, 1982). The situational interview in particular is associated with strong predictive accuracy; this fact has sparked debate regarding the source of this enhanced validity. This study tested Hunter and Hirsh's (1987) notion that situational interview validity is derived from its measurement of cognitive ability. In addition, their theory that the situational interview operates as an orally administered intelligence test for new …

The Influence Of Valence Of Additional Information And Affective State On Regret And Subsequent Decision Making Behavior, Rhonda A. Stutzman

Student Work

To date, there is little research on the phenomena of decisional regret. Most of the literature contains speculation about the antecedents, moderators, processes and consequences of regret rather than offering empirical evidence. This study looked at temporary affective states and the moderating effect of the valence of additional information in terms of the amount of post-decisional regret experienced, confidence levels, ratings of decision alternatives and subsequent choice. A 2 X 2 factorial design was used to examine the influence of affective state (positive vs neutral) and the valence of additional information (neutral vs negative) on regret and the evaluation of …

A Correlational Study Of Hardiness, Health, And Burnout Among Teachers In The Sullivan County School System, Deborah F. Morelock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships among hardiness, health and burnout and to investigate the relationships of the subscales of hardiness to health and to the subscales of burnout among teachers in the Sullivan County School System. The Hardiness Test was used to measure hardiness and the Maslach Burnout Inventory Form Ed to measure burnout. Results of the Health Evaluation and Risk Test was reported on the Educators Demographic Data Survey. The study sample consisted of 501 teachers. A statistically significant relationship was revealed between hardiness and health; among the hardiness subscales, commitment accounted for the …

The Predictive Validity Of The Battelle Developmental Inventory As A Measure Of Adaptive Behavior: A 2-3 Year, Longitudinal Comparison With The Scales Of Independent Behavior, Clarice E. Jentzsch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Within the last 5 years, researchers have given increased attention to preschool assessment. One test, the Battelle Developmental Inventory, has become increasingly popular for use with preschool-age children. Despite its frequent use by early intervention programs, few researchers have studied the technical adequacy of the Battelle. The predictive validity of the Battelle was examined, using 154 children with disabilities. Scores on the Battelle for children 3 to 5 years of age were compared with scores on the Scales of Independent Behavior administered to the same children 2 to 3 years later. Moderate to strong relationships were found between the scores. …

Assessment Of Parental Expectations: A Preliminary Investigation Of The Expectation Sort For Parents, Jennifer J. Stepan

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The standards that parents set for their children and the expectations they hold are an important consideration in studying family dynamics, development of a child's self-esteem, quality of parental care, emotional responses to required and desired behavior, and virtually any other aspect of the parent-child relationship. Parents maintain expectations of their child's physical, socio-emotional, and intellectual development. Children's self-concept, self-esteem, and general emotional well-being are all affected by their ability to fulfill parents' expectations. Failure to live up to a standard that is important to the parent could lead to psychological distress for the child and disruption in the family. …

Immune And Endocrine System Responses To Acute Skin-Temperature Reductions And Thermal Biofeedback, Kenneth E. Bell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the cold pressor test on skin temperature, natural killer cell activity, plasma concentrations of interleukin-1 and cortisol, and the numbers of white blood cells, CD3+ cells, CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells, and CD56+ cells in the peripheral blood. In addition, the study examined whether thermal biofeedback, when presented following the cold pressor tests, would mitigate the effects of the cold pressor tests.

Four male university students completed pretest psychological inventories and were pretrained during nine laboratory sessions to increase their skin temperature to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. During the experiment, blood …

Alcohol, Abstinence, Efficacy, And Social Normative Expectancies: The Relationship To Alcoholics' Level Of Drinking Following Inpatient Treatment, Martin John Toohill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It has been argued that individuals receiving traditional alcohol treatment do not necessarily perceive life-long abstinence from alcohol as a favorable treatment outcome, and that negative expectations associated with this abstinence goal may have an adverse effect on treatment outcome. However, "abstinence expectancies" have never been systematically explored. This study used the Theory of Planned Behavior to investigate the relationship between the abstinence outcome expectancies of alcoholics beginning treatment and subsequent alcohol consumption. The independent and combined effects of abstinence outcome expectancies, alcohol outcome expectancies, self-efficacy expectancies (to abstain from alcohol use), and the normative beliefs of individuals beginning inpatient …

The Predictive Validity Of The Battelle Developmental Inventory As A Measure Of Adaptive Behavior : A 2-3 Year, Longitudinal Comparison With The Scales Of Independent Behavior, Clarice E. Jentzsh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Within the last 5 years, researchers have given increased attention to preschool assessment. One test, the Battelle Developmental Inventory, has become increasingly popular for use with preschool-age children. Despite its frequent use by early intervention programs, few researchers have studied the technical adequacy of the Battelle. The predictive validity of the Battelle was examined, using 154 children with disabilities. Scores on the Battelle for children 3 to 5 years of age were compared with scores on the Scales of Independent Behavior administered to the same children 2 to 3 years later. Moderate to strong relationships were found between the scores. …

A Comparative Study Of The Effect Of Paper-And-Pencil Versus Computer Administration Of An Achievement Test, Perry Sailor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The study examined whether, under comparable testing conditions, second- and fourth-grade students who took a computer-administered (CA) achievement test in mathematics achieved the same mean score as comparable students who took the same test by paper and pencil (PP).

For number correct, the CA standardized mean difference effect size was - 0.28, which was larger than the expected effect size of zero, although not statistically significant at .05. It was noted that CA subjects completed the test more quickly, on the average, than PP subjects (CA effect size for time to completion = - 0.79). When time to completion was …

Do Prospective Ratings Correct Retrospective Distortions Based On Negative Social Stereotypes Of Premenstrual Syndrome?, Mary L. Stone

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Daily Assessment Form (OAF) retrospectively assessed symptoms of late luteal phase dysphoric disorder (LLPDD), both at the beginning and at the end of a 2-month time interval. Ninety-four women between the ages of 18 and 45 entered the study. Half of the subjects viewed a negative-case, stereotypic presentation of LLPDD prior to the pretest. sixty-eight subjects qualified on the pretest to complete the study. Half of the remaining no-case subjects and half of the remaining negative-case subjects completed 8 weeks' prospective ratings via the OAF. Forty-eight subjects remained to complete the posttest at the end of that time interval. …

Family Perspectives Of The Professional-Paraprofessional Partnership Model Of Home-Based Early Intervention Service Delivery, Amy Sanford Walters

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Current legislation regarding early intervention services has focused on the family unit, rather than the individual child, as the recipient of services. A model of family-centered care has been adopted and as a result, new models for service delivery have been developed. The present study examined family perspectives of the professional-paraprofessional partnership model, and assessed the ecological validity of this model as it relates to the basic principles of family-centered care. Families who participated in an early intervention program that utilized the professional-paraprofessional partnership model were interviewed upon program completion. Families reported receiving a wide range of child and family …

Factor Analytic Study Of Spatial Abilities In Second-Grade, English-Speaking Navajo And Non-Navajo Children, Laurie Sullivan-Sakaeda

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was conducted to continue the investigation of apparent differences in cognitive abilities between Navajo Indian children and non-Navajo children. Subjects were 248 second-grade students, ranging from 7 to 9 years old. The Navajo sample lived in the Shiprock, New Mexico, area of the Navajo Indian Reservation, and the non-Navajo sample lived on the east side of Salt Lake City, Utah. Data were collected using six tests designed to measure spatial abilities in primary grade children. Results indicated that the non-Navajo children scored significantly higher on two individual tests and on the total test score under timed conditions, with …

Differential Parental Participation In A Comprehensive Early Intervention Project: Is More Active Better?, Gary Percival

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The current study examined the level of participation by families who have been involved between 1 and 3 years with the Community-Family Partnership (CFP) project. The CFP project is 1 of 34 Comprehensive Child Development Projects funded by the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families through the Head Start Bureau. The CFP makes available comprehensive, on-going services to enrolled families. Twenty-six families were identified as the Low Participation Group. Twenty-three families were identified as the High Participation Group. Children from each group were tested using the Battelle Developmental Inventory on a yearly basis. Results of a repeated measures ANOVA indicated …

Personality Factors Associated With Negative Affect: Application Of The "Big Five" Taxonomy To Depression And Anxiety, Kent W. Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the patterns and discriminant utility of the five-factor model of personality ("Big Five," consisting of neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness factors) with depressed and anxious outpatients.

One hundred two outpatients seeking services at a community mental health center in a small western community participated in the study. Subjects were 41 clients with a depressive disorder, 31 with an anxiety disorder, and 30 in a mixed clinical control group. Subjects completed the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness to Experience Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI).

Results indicate that both depressed and anxious clients score in the "very …

Transference And Multiple Personality Disorder: Implications For Diagnosis And Treatment, Terri L. Bennink

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The phenomena of transference, as manifested by individuals with multiple personality disorder, was examined as it related to diagnosis and management of therapy. Current definitions and diagnostic criteria for multiple personality disorder were given as well as prominent conceptualizations of the recognition and intervention of transference phenomena. Specific emphasis was placed on differential diagnosis of borderline personality disordered patients from those with multiple personality disorder in terms of similarities and differences in the manifestations and therapeutic management of transference behavior. Pierre Janet's theory of the dynamics of dissociation was reviewed as support for understanding transference behavior in multiple personality disordered …

Intermittent Consequences And Problem Solving: The Experimental Control Of “Superstitious” Beliefs, Ruth A. Heltzer, Stuart Vyse

Psychology Faculty Publications

Three groups of college students were asked to determine how points were earned in a task that allowed the assessment of response variability. All students received points for sequences of eight presses distributed across two keys (four presses on each key). One group received a point for each correct sequence, one group received points on a fixed-ratio 2 schedule, and one group received points on a random-ratio 2 schedule. There were no significant differences in nonverbal response variability across the three groups, and the fixed-ratio 2 and random-ratio 2 groups obtained equivalent point totals. However, participants in the random-ratio group …

Vocal Learning In Grey Parrots (Psittacus Erithacus): Effects Of Social Interaction, Reference, And Context, Irene M. Pepperberg

Sentience Collection

For many passerines, the extent,timing, and even presence of allospecific vocal learning can be influenced by the form of input that is received. Little data exist, however, on vocal learning in parrots (Psittacidae). I have previously proposed that such vocal learning proceeds most readily when input is (1) referential, (2) contextually applicable, and (3) interactive. The referential aspect demonstrates the meaning of the code to be taught, the contextual aspect demonstrates the use that can be made of the information contained in the code, and the interactive aspect provides explicit training that is constantly adjusted to the level of the …

The Anterior Commissure : The Effects Of Sex And Prenatal Stress, Hendree Evelyn Jones

Master's Theses

The effects of prenatal stress (light/restraint) on the development of the anterior commissure (AC) were investigated. The AC is known to be a sexually dimorphic structure of the brain not directly involved in reproductive behavior; unlike hypothalamic structures and nuclei, however, little is known about its development. The present work examines two factors, sex and stress, known to influence other brain areas. Pregnant rats were assigned to prenatal treatment and control groups. The treatment group was stressed thrice daily for thirty minutes using light/restraint during the third trimester (day 14-21). Control dams remained undisturbed. Male and female offspring were killed …

"I’Ll Do It Tomorrow." A Radical Behavioral Analysis Of Procrastination, Cassandra Ann Braam

Dissertations

This study examined the problem of procrastination or the failure to complete tasks. Five similar rules were presented to five, four-year-old children, using a multielement design. The rules described contingencies varying in the specification of delays in the delivery of consequences and deadlines. In addition, a general statement of disapproval of procrastination was presented one time, in addition to a rule specifying a delayed consequence with no deadline, to determine its effect on an established pattern of procrastination. The results showed (a) rules specifying delayed consequences (indirect-acting contingencies) with no deadlines did not reliably control behavior, (b) rules specifying immediate …

Task Experience, Assigned Goals, And Performance Norms As Determinants Of Goal Choice And Performance, Jon Shanahan

Student Work

A cognitive mediation model of goal setting (Garland, 1985; Meyer & Gellatly, 1988) is explored from a perspective that combines the social information processing, expectancy-valence, and control systems literatures. Assigned goals, performance norms, and task experience are viewed as information sources that influence goal choice, and therefore effort and performance, through performance expectancy (expectancy of success) and performance valence (anticipated satisfaction with any given performance level). Subjects were 100 introductory psychology and sociology students who participated in exchange for extra credit. Subjects performed a card sorting task and were assigned to one of five treatment conditions. Each experimental subject was …

The Role Of Laughter In The Thought Of Friedrich Nietzsche, Paul D. Gerdes

Institute for the Humanities Theses

The objective of this thesis is an analysis of the role of laughter in the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), by which I mean both its influence on his intellectual development, and the incorporation of it in his philosophy. Such an undertaking is important because, while it might seem somewhat odd for a philosopher, and particularly a German philosopher, to consider laughter fundamental to his thought, laughter does play an essential role in all of Nietzsche's writing.

For the purposes of this thesis, I will investigate three separate but interrelated aspects of Nietzsche's thought: the influence of the Dionysian tragic-comic …

Body-Image Disturbances In Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa: A Meta-Analysis Of Extant Research, Edwin A. Deagle Iii

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Body-image disturbances are key among the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. However, the specific nature of this disturbance is not precisely defined by DSN-III-R or DSN-IV. The numerous body-image assessment techniques have generated inconsistent and conflicting results concerning the nature of body image in the eating disorders. This study is the first quantitative review, a meta-analysis of (n = 59) studies of body image among anorexics and bulimics relative to controls. The results indicated that attitudinal measures of body dissatisfaction, including perceptual self-ideal discrepancy measures, produce much larger effect sizes for clinical populations than do perceptual assessments …

Judging Statistical Significance: The Effects Of Standard Error Bar Formats And Visual Displays, Rebecca Wilson Miller

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined various graphical displays for illustrating statistical significance. These displays were created following Dunlap and May's (1989) recommendation about representing statistical significance in figures with error bars derived from the pooled estimate of error variance. In the first experiment, 15 graduate students were asked to judge whether the relationships depicted in a series of graphs and tables were significant or nonsignificant. Four significance levels were combined factorially with three standard error bar formats, unidirectional opposite direction, unidirectional same direction, and bidirectional, and two displays, line graphs and bar graphs. A tabular display was also presented for comparison. …

Vigilance: Instruction Effects And Personality Correlates Of Performance Workload And Boredom, David A. Sawin

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present laboratory study examined variables that are believed to impact vigilance in operational settings. Instructions were manipulated by telling half of the subjects to relax, and to focus on positive task characteristics (relaxation-emphasis), while the remaining subjects were instructed to "detect as many critical signals as possible" (detection-emphasis). It was expected that instructions emphasizing detection would lead to increased subjective workload ratings, though all subjects participated in the same 30-min vigilance task. Further, it was expected that decreasing demands by emphasizing relaxing qualities of the task would not impact performance, though lower workload ratings were expected. In addition, response …

Premature Infant Attractiveness And Temperament In The Prediction Of Maternal Sensitivity, Cheryl L. Shiflett

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The influence of infant attractiveness and temperament on maternal sensitivity is important to examine in infants born prematurely because many characteristics associated with prematurity, such as postnatal cranial molding, may negatively impact maternal response. The present study investigated maternal perceptions of preterm infant development, attractiveness, age, and temperament, and examined the influence of attractiveness and temperament on maternal sensitivity. Twenty-nine mothers of preterms completed questionnaires on infant behavior, development, temperament, rated photographs for attractiveness and age, and were videotaped with their infant to measure maternal sensitivity according to CARE-Index procedures (Crittenden, 1988). Results indicated that mothers have more negative expectancies …