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Intact Families With A Multiple Sclerotic Parent: Social And Emotional Adjustment Of Parents And School-Age Children, Jean A. Mccutchan

Dissertations

Problem Statement. Research on children with a multiple sclerotic parent has been minimal and until recently focused only on negative aspects. This study investigated how families successfully cope with multiple sclerosis (MS) and how their school-age children are affected, positively or negatively.

Methodology. This research used the case study approach with intact Caucasian families, 10 where the mother was the patient and 3 families where the father was the patient. The 20 children were ages 5 through 19. Following a clinical interview, the family members responded to the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales-II, the Family Hardiness Index and the …

Reactions To Childhood Sibling Death: A Qualitative Investigation, Mary A. Paulson

Dissertations

Problem

In looking at the importance of sibling relationships, we see that the death of a sibling can cause considerable disruption to the surviving child's development. A review of the childhood sibling loss literature indicated that no study was found that investigated the effects of sibling loss on depression and psychosocial development and studied reactions to sibling loss and its effects on cognition, emotions, behaviors, interpersonal relations, and spirituality.

Method

Thirty subjects participated in this research and composed three developmental groups. Erik Erikson's psychosocial developmental stages were utilized in this investigation. The subjects were grouped according to their age at …

Teamwork In The Workplace: A Discovery Of The Work Processes One Team Used To Meet Its Goals, Thomas Andrew Hassler

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A century-old disagreement in academia surrounds the question of whether individuals acting alone accomplish all work or whether workers can truly act in concert to meet management's production requirements. Total Quality Management (TQM) is a powerful force today in the industrial world, and the formation of teams to solve short-term problems is one of its fundamental techniques. This dissertation focuses on a particular TQM team with the purpose of understanding the processes it used to meet its goals. This ten-member team functioned for about one year and was assigned goals leading to improved accelerator reliability. The investigator was a member …

Neuropsychological Functioning Among Violent And Nonviolent Sex Offenders, Pamela Knox-Jones

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Violent sex offenders, nonviolent sex offenders, violent non-sex offenders, and nonviolent non-sex offenders were compared on neuropsychological testing and on personality testing. A neuropsychological test battery and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - 2 (MMPI-2) were administered to 93 and 50 male felons respectively. Subjects were drawn from a data base provided by the state Department of Corrections. Potential indicators of neuropsychological impairment were controlled during the selection process. Analyses of Variance (alpha =.05) found that violent sex offenders scored significantly lower than the other three groups on two measures that are sensitive to left hemisphere impairment and one that …

Electrodermal Activity As A Function Of Name Stimulus Match And Facial Familiarity, Donald Cherry

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present experiment examines the relationship between name stimulus match and facial familiarity using electrodermal activity (EDA) as a dependent measure. Twenty male and 20 female undergraduate students from Old Dominion University were used as subjects. A within-subjects design allowed subjects in the experimental conditions to view familiar written names and faces which varied on the dimension of naming (name-face pairings). Three combinations of naming conditions were incorporated: (1) match, (2) mismatch, and (3) no name. As a control, subjects experienced the same naming conditions, but the names and faces were unfamiliar. Results based on EDA amplitudes revealed that familiar …

Racism More Than Private Belief, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This letter to the editor of the St. John’s University student newspaper, The Record, points out that racism is multifaceted, constituting more than simply a personal belief. Racist attitudes comprise a cognitive component (stereotypes), an affective component (prejudice), and a behavioral component (discrimination).

Parentally Perceived Family Environments Of Children Identified As Attention Deficit-Hyperactive, Tony D. Frazier

Graduate Theses

Parental perceptions of the family social environment were investigated for the families of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder boys (ADHD) and those families without Attention Deficit Disorder boys (Non-ADHD). Mothers and fathers from forty-four intact families (20 Non-ADHD; 24 ADHD) independently completed the Family Environment Scale (Form Real and Form Ideal), a symptomology checklist, and a parent stress questionnaire. The Family Environment Scale (FES) was used to identify the factors that were unique to the family of the ADHD children. Following the identification of subscale factors, the relationship between the FES factors and the ratings of the child's symptoms were examined. …

Personality Disorders In Mothers Of Children With An Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Dennis E. Bowman Jr.

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This investigation examined the presence of personality disorders in the mothers of children with an Attention- Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). This was accomplished by examining 60 male subjects ages 6 to 12. The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II) was administered to 20 mothers of children with ADHD, 20 mothers of children with ADHD and CD and a matched comparison group who did not meet the criteria for ADHD or CD. Repeated analysis of variance (ANOVAS) and Chi Square analyses were calculated on each MCMI-II scale and the Duncan's multiple range test was utilized to determine statistical significance. Data analyses revealed …

Sex Differences In Coping, Judy L. Johnson

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nolen-Hoeksema (1987, 1991) has suggested that males engage in more problem-focused, distractive, coping strategies, whereas females engage in more emotion-focused, ruminative, coping strategies. This study tested NolenHoeksema's response styles theory, which suggests that using a ruminative response style may predispose women to depression more than men. It also examined perceptions of effective coping and utilization of social support. One hundred and twenty subjects completed the Ways of Coping Checklist, a coping questionnaire, the Perceptions of Coping Questionnaire, the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25, the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behavior, and the Personality Attributes Questionnaire. Results provide evidence for sex differences in the …

The Effects Of Gender Of Juror And Gender Of Plaintiff On Outcomes Of Mock Medical Malpractice Lawsuites, Verity Anne Tubb

Graduate Theses

The current study investigates the effect of the gender of the subject and the gender of the plaintiff on the outcome of a mock medical malpractice lawsuit. Thirty males and twenty-nine females read a transcript from a mock medical malpractice lawsuit, completed a verdict form and answered opinion and recognition questions. The gender of the subjects did not produce any significant results, showing that male subjects did not select significantly different verdicts when compared to female subjects. The gender of the plaintiff did show significant results. The subjects found for female plaintiffs more often than they did the male plaintiff. …

The Occurrence Of Alexithymia In Children And Adolescents With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Michael S. Routh

Graduate Theses

Previous studies of the relationship between alexithymia and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have utilized samples of combat veterans with PTSD. However, children and adolescents who have experienced trauma and are diagnosed with PTSD exhibit similar or identical symptomology. The current study examined alexithymia in a sample of children and adolescents diagnosed with PTSD. It was hypothesized that the sample, when compared to non-PTSD and control samples, would reveal a significantly greater severity of alexithymia and PTSD. Although overall results were not consistent with previous research, trends of group means supported a relationship between alexithymia and PTSD. 1

Identification Of Perfectionistic College Students, Susan A. Morgan

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify distinctive personality characteristics for perfectionistic college students. One hundred eighty-four graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in psychology and business courses were asked to participate by completing a measure of perfectionism and a personality test. The participants scores were arranged into groups based on their MPS subscale scores. Discriminant analyses revealed 3 separate clusters of variables which predicted perfectionism group membership with surprising accuracy.

The Effects Of Public Commitment And Group Feedback Of Curbside Recycling, Iser Guillermo Deleón

Masters Theses

Several methods for increasing recycling have been presented in the psychology literature. However, many rely on incentive systems that require individual response monitoring for differential delivery of consequences, thus rendering them prohibitively expensive on a community-wide scale. This study examined the effects of three community interventions which may circumvent this limitation: public commitment, group feedback, and a combination of both. The Commitment Only intervention produced no substantial increase in recycling when superimposed upon a curbside recycling baseline. The Feedback Only intervention and the Combined Intervention produced increases of 25.47% and 40.00%, respectively. A no-intervention Control Group decreased in amount recycled …

Effects Of Cocaine On Fixed-Ratio Responding Of Rats: Modulation By Required Response Force, Malath Makhay

Masters Theses

The effects of acute cocaine administrations (5. 6 to 32 mg/kg) were determined in rats responding under a multiple fixed-ratio 15 fixed-ratio 15 schedule of food delivery. The minimum response effort required in one schedule component was 25 g, whereas in the other component it was 200 g. Cocaine produced generally dose-dependent decreases in rate of responding and increases in pre-ratio pause times under each component. There was, however, a significant interaction between force and drug dose, and the magnitude of drug effects were larger in the component requiring 200 g for lever operation. Although a number of other parameters …

The Assessment Of Political Personality: A Psychodiagnostically Relevant Conceptualization And Methodology, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to narrow the conceptual and methodological gap between existing formulations in psychodiagnostic theory and current practice in political personality. It is suggested that accurate assessment of the personalities of high-level leaders can significantly improve the prediction of political outcomes but that this endeavor has been hampered by inadequate transposition from the source disciplines of personality theory and psychodiagnostics to the target discipline of contemporary political psychology. It is proposed that Theodore Millon’s personological model offers a viable integrative framework for the study of political personality. The present article explicates Millon’s model, specifies the relevance …

Attitudes Toward Counseling: A Study Of The Older Adult Population, Judith Reiter Tarkington

Theses

This study investigates the attitudes of older adults toward counseling and professional psychological help, a topic of growing importance as populations age and mental health needs evolve. Using the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help (ASPPH) scale, the research examined responses from 43 community-dwelling participants aged 51 to 84. The sample included 23 women and 20 men, with varying levels of previous counseling experience. The study sought to determine whether older adults generally hold favorable or unfavorable views of counseling and whether factors such as gender or prior counseling experience significantly affect these attitudes.

Results revealed that the group as …

Selected Demographic Variables As Predictors Of Moral Development Among George Fox College Students, Joe D. Wood

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The theoretical basis of this research was based on Kohlberg's cognitive model of moral development. Rest's operationalization of principled moral reasoning, Davison's scale score, and Thoma's utilizer score were specifically examined. A predictive relationship between certain demographic variables and the principled moral reasoning and Davison's score have been identified in the research literature. The purpose of this study was to examine further this predictive relationship. The James D. Foster and Beth A. LaForce research project provided the archival data for this research. From the existing data, demographic variables were selected as predictors of moral development among incoming George Fox College …

Crime And Evil: Meta-Theory, Theory, And Praxis In Forensic Psychology, Eric David Kunkel

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The prevalence of crime is a world-wide problem, and concomitantly, the fear of crime grips the public. Also, social scientists remain pessimistic about solutions: many acquiesce in the •nothing works" conclusion. The general populace views crime as both pathological (i.e., sick) and evil. Privately, social scientists may agree, but professionally they describe crime as nothing but an illness. This research establishes that such reductionism limits the explanatory power of forensic psychology and that ruling out the existence of evil a priori is unscientific. First, the philosophy of science underlying the study of crime is examined. The history of science, the …

An Examination Of Depression In A Subclinical Eating Disorder Female Population, Christine Hill-Melton

Dissertations

This study examined depression and disordered eating symptoms in a population at high risk for the development of eating disorders. The level and prevalence of depression were compared between three groups of women with increasing severity of eating disordered symptoms.

Female undergraduate college students enrolled in psychology courses at four small colleges and one mid-sized university in Michigan completed a Biographical Questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and an Eating Assessment Rating Scale (EARS). Participants were placed into one of three groups according to severity of disordered eating symptoms based on their responses on the EARS. The three groups were: …

The Efficacy Of Eye Movement Desensitization In The Treatment Of Trauma Related Imagery And Cognitions: A Partial Dismantling Procedure, George S. Renfrey

Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of eye movement desensitization (EMD) on post-traumatic sequelae, and attempted a partial dismantling of the procedure to determine the necessity of EMD's characteristic eye movements. Twenty-three persons participated in three groups: (1) those receiving standard EMD, (2) those receiving a variant of EMD in which eye movements were engendered through a light tracking task, and (3) those receiving a variant of EMD in which fixed visual attention replaced eye movements. All participants had experienced traumata as defined by the DSM-III-R and were having intrusive symptoms of PTSD at pre-treatment. All but two met full DSM-II-R …

The Link Between Psychosocial Factors And Coronary Heart Disease: A Possible Neuroendocrine Mechanism, Sheila Wang

Dissertations

Coronary heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the affluent world. Despite identification of several risk factors for coronary heart disease (age, sex, lipoprotein profile, hypertension, diabetes, cigarette smoking, obesity), a significant amount of variability associated with the incidence of coronary heart disease cannot be explained solely on the basis of these risk factors. The contribution of psychosocial factors to the development of coronary heart disease (type A behavior, social isolation, traumatic events, unstable social conditions) continues to be a promising area of investigation. However, a biochemical pathway linking psychosocial factors to coronary heart disease remains …

A Comparative Study Of Christians To Wiccans And Pagans, L. Diane Curtis

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Levels of affect were assessed in twenty-five Christian participants and twenty-four Wiccan and Pagan participants. Zucherman and Lubin's Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist-Revised (1985) was utilized to measure levels of anxiety, depression, hostility, sensation seeking and positive affect. It was hypothesized that Christians would rate higher in levels of anxiety, depression, and hostility. None of these hypotheses were supported, and there was no significant difference between Christian and Pagan levels of positive affect. There was however, a significant difference between the two groups in the area of sensation seeking- Pagan scores rating higher than did Christian scores. Possible explanations for this …

Behavioral Effects Of Tyrosine During Sustained Wakefulness, D. L. Wiegmann, D. F. Neri, R. R. Stanny, S. A. Shappell, A. H. Mccardie, D. L. Mckay

Publications

The fatigue and cognitive performance deficits associated with sleep loss and stress, like that experienced during sustained flight operations and nighttime flying, have motivated the search for effective nonpharmacological countermeasures. The behavioral effects of the potential countermeasure tyrosine, an amino-acid precursor to dopamine and norepinephrine, were examined during an episode of continuous nighttime work involving one night's sleep loss. Volunteers performed nine iterations of a battery of cognitive and subjective tasks for approximately 13 h, beginning at 1930 and ending at 0820 the following morning. Subjects remained awake throughout the day on which the experiment began and were awake for …

The Maintenance Of Statistical Process Control (Spc) With Organizational Behavior Management (Obm) Techniques, Pollis Robertson

Dissertations

Many organizations have implemented statistical process control (SPC) programs in response to demands in the marketplace for high-quality products that are efficiently built. Many of these organizations have been unhappy with the difficulty of getting their statistical process (SPC) control programs started and the long-term economic success of these programs.

This study systematically investigated for two years various components of statistical process control programs and attempted to enhance economic effectiveness by buttressing SPC methods with Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) techniques. This study was conducted in a Gray Ductile Iron Foundry that employed 87 employees.

Positive results were observed when OBM …

What's In A Label? The Effects Of Substance Types And Labels On Treatment Considerations And Stigma, John A. Cunningham, Linda C. Sobell, Virginia M. Chow

Faculty Articles

Visitors (N = 579) to a science center read selected scenarios and evaluated the most likely outcome for a hypothetical substance abuser. Respondents were randomly assigned to one of six scenario conditions: a person with one of three different substance abuse problems (alcohol, tobacco, or cocaine) was crossed with two labels reflecting high or low substance dependence. Results indicated that: (1) cigarettes were viewed as a less serious substance abuse problem than were alcohol or cocaine (a person who smoked cigarettes was rated as more likely to recover from his problem, self-change was regarded as more appropriate and less stigma …

Session Duration And The Vi Response Function: With-In Session Prospective And Retrospective Efffects, James Dougan, Alfred Kuh, K. Vink

Scholarship

Two experiments examined the effects of session duration on responding during simple variable-interval schedules. In Experiment 1, rats were exposed to a series of simple variable-interval schedules differing in both session duration (10 min or 30 min) and scheduled reinforcement rate (7.5 s,15 s, 30 s, and 480 s). The functions relating response rate to reinforcement rate were predominantly monotonic for the short (10-min) sessions but were predominantly bitonic for the long (30-min) sessions, when data from the entire session were considered. Examination of responding within sessions suggested that differences in the whole-session data were produced by a combination of …

The Effects Of Exercise Over Time On Levels Of Anxiety And Self-Efficacy Among Women Undergraduates, Linda S. Noval

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety. However, many people find exercise programs difficult to maintain. Researchers are now identifying factors associated with exercise adherence including selfefficacy. Teaching these skills to people may be important for the use of exercise as an intervention in reducing levels of anxiety. This study monitored levels of anxiety over time among women undergraduate students who were involved in four exercise conditions. The results suggest that while physical activity is associated with significantly higher levels of physical self-efficacy, it is not as closely associated with lower levels of trait anxiety.

Sexual Orientation, Attachment, And Adult Relationship Quality, Earl Calvin Riggins Iii

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Comparisons were made between 55 heterosexual males, 49 heterosexual females, 56 homosexual males, and 35 homosexual females on measures of attachment, relationship satisfaction and relationship success. Results indicated that adult homosexuals experience greater difficulty than adult heterosexuals in becoming close to others. Individuals endorsing the secure attachment style reported greater relationship satisfaction than individuals endorsing either of the two insecure attachment styles. In addition, females reported greater relationship satisfaction than males. Significantly more individuals endorsing the secure attachment style reported their mothers to have been warm/responsive; significantly more heterosexual males and females than homosexual females reported their mothers to have …

Maternal Perceptions Of The Social Development And Behavior Of Asthmatic Children, Chelley A. Merrell

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

To assess the effects of asthma on the social development and behavior of asthmatic children, 60 mothers of 6- to 13-year-old children (30 mothers of asthmatics, 30 mothers of non-asthmatics) completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL: Achenbach & Edelbrock, 1986) and were administered the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (Vineland: Sparrow, Balla, & Cicchetti, 1984). It was hypothesized that asthmatic children would lag behind non-asthmatic peers in social development, defined as the development of age-appropriate behaviors (i.e., communication, daily living skills, and socialization). In addition, it was hypothesized that asthmatic children would exhibit more internalizing behaviors than non-asthmatic children. There were …

Computer-Based Procedural Performance As A Function Of Window Size And Format Type, Christina Ann Dipalo

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present experiment examined the effect of three levels of format (flowchart, menu, and extended text), two levels of window size (6-line and lg-line), two levels of procedural plan (Plan A and Plan B), and two levels of gender (male and female) on task completion speed and performance accuracy. A computer-based procedure display task was employed to measure subject performance on three dependent variables; the overall task completion time, the decision time between steps, and the performance accuracy on steps executed. Plans A and B were examined for equal cognitive complexity using a logical analysis prior to the start of …