Digital Commons Network^™

The Near-Death Experience And The Tibetan Buddhist View Of Death: A Comparison, Margaret Coberly, S. I. Shapiro

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of The Effectiveness Of The United States Air Force And Selected Unit Vision Statements, Joseph N. Gomes, Quinn A. Gummel

Theses and Dissertations

This study assessed the Air Force and subordinate unit vision statements to determine how effectively current Air Force efforts provide vision for Air Force personnel. There were two main parts to the research: a literature review, and a field study of various Air Force units to assess the effectiveness of the Air Force visioning process. A review of the literature revealed the definition, and role, of vision statements, and identified five essential elements for effective vision statements. The elements of effective vision statements were found to be: a clear image of a future end state; a realistic and attainable goal; …

A Test Of The Theory Of Reasoned Action At The Group Level Of Analysis, Thomas A. Fitch, Edward A. Mccarty

Theses and Dissertations

A vast array of studies exist which have sought to explore the relationships between behavioral intentions, job satisfaction, turnover and performance at the individual level of analysis. Recent efforts to move to the group level of analysis have shown some promise, but few exist. The crux of the issue under consideration here was whether or not there was utility in treating attitude-intention-behavior linkages as group level phenomena. Both Schneider (1987) and George (1990' contend that, while individual analysis cannot be discounted as a means of understanding behavior, there is also value in examining group-level phenomena. The purpose of this study …

A Longitudinal Study Of The Effects Of Organizational Change To Integrated Product Teams (Ipts) On Employee Attitudes, Joseph A. Paul, Roger D. Stull

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines what effect an organizational change to Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) within a System Program Office (SPO) has on employ attitudes. Chapter One of this study presents the general research problem/issue, pertinent background information, definitions of important terms, investigative questions, limitations of the research, and a general overview of the thesis. Chapter Two describes the IPT (matrix) organizational environment, presents literature establishing the relationship between individual attitudes, motivation, performance, and explores the relationship between IPTs and employee attitudes. Chapter Three presents the methodology used to analyze the SPO's survey data collected before and after implementation of IPTs. Finally, …

A Study Of Usn Aircrew Attitudes Regarding Technology's Ability To Replace The Naval Flight Officer On Typical Combat Missions Carrier Based Aircraft Are Tasked To Perform, Robert E. Britt, William J. Cain

Theses and Dissertations

This study analyzed survey responses of 290 Navy pilots and Naval flight officers (NFOs) regarding their perceptions of technology's ability to replace the NFO in typical combat missions carrier-based aircraft are tasked to perform. The study is a follow-on to a similar USAF effort conducted with pilots. The objective of this study is to provide operator input to the critical crew complement issue. These missions vary significantly in complexity and in demands placed on the aircrew. The survey instrument and analysis methods were designed to detect and evaluate these differences. The USAF study concluded that-the perception of a requirement for …

Why Altruism Is Impossible...And Ubiquitous, Barry Schwartz

Psychology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of The Cooper Wellness Program In Promoting Long- Term Lifestyle Behavior Changes, Ernesto P. S. Medina Jr.

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Most research on health behavior change programs examines their effectiveness in producing initial behavior changes, but fails to evaluate long-term maintenance of those changes. This study examined the effectiveness of the Cooper Wellness Program (CWP) in Dallas, Texas, in promoting maintenance of lifestyle behavior changes for one year or longer in the areas of diet, exercise, and stress management.

The CWP offers an intensive live-in lifestyle behavior modification program in four-, seven-, or 13-day formats. Data were collected from 223 individuals who attended the CWP between January, 1989, to February, 1992. The study addressed the following areas: 1) long-term maintenance …

The Impact Of Goal Setting And Empowerment On Governmental Matrix Organizations, Stephen R. Corey, Patricea W. Hogan

Theses and Dissertations

The matrix management concept is currently in use by many DoD organizations. Theories of goal setting and empowerment seem to align with some of the responsibilities assumed by matrix project managers. The research problem was to determine whether will-functioning government matrix organizations owe their effectiveness to a project-oriented matrix organization structure, or to good goal setting and empowerment practices by managers. Interviews were conducted at three SPOs at WPAFB and at DLA's DESC and DCSC. Qualitative analysis, including dendrograms and matrix displays were utilized. Conclusions include the following points: Goal Setting is not prominent, but may not be critical in …

A Comparison Of Users' And Providers' Perceptions Of Critical Spacelift Vehicle Characteristics And Capabilities, Dawson S. Oslund, Mark M. Shafer

Theses and Dissertations

This study compares spacelift vehicle users' and providers' perceptions of critical spacelift vehicle characteristics and capabilities. The researchers conducted a mail survey of military, commercial, and civil spacelift vehicle users and providers to determine a criticality rating for each of the 22 characteristics and capabilities identified through a literature review. Primary results of the study indicate: (1) the three most critical characteristics and capabilities are reliability, launch cost, and resilience; (2) the three least critical characteristics and capabilities are man-rateable, reusability, and gross lift-off weight; (3) only launch cost has a significantly different mean 'criticality rating among spacelift vehicle users …

Computer Simulation Study Of The Joint Deployment Of The 23rd Wing And 82nd Airborne Division From Pope Air Force Base, John B. Prechtel, Mark S. Wingreen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis produced a model of the Army airdrop segment of the Pope AFB deployment system. The original intent was to model the entire system and simulate the simultaneous deployment of the 23rd Wing and 82nd Airborne Division; however, time constraints and incomplete data forced a reduction in scope. The study provides an excellent foundation for further research into the use of simulation to develop a generalized deployment sizing model. The airdrop segment of the system was modeled using the researcher's personal observations of the system, the expertise of personnel who work within the system, and documentation of the problems …

The Perceptual Weighting Of Speech-Related Acoustic Cues For 3 & 1/2-Year-Old Children Differs From That Of Adults: Results Using Natural And Synthetic Stimuli, Carol J. Manning

Student Work

Previous studies have found that children’s judgments of syllable-initial /s/ and / ∫ / are more related to the vocalic F2 transition and less related to the fricative-noise spectrum than are adults’ judgments [Nittrouer & Studdert- Kennedy, JSHR, 30 (1987); Nittrouer, J. Phon., 20 1992]. These results have been taken as evidence that young children organize linguistic input in units more closely approximating syllable size than phoneme size. Furthermore, such results have led to a model of speech development proposing that children’s weighting of the acoustic cues for phonemic categories changes as they gain linguistic experience, with a general shift …

Bipolar Control In Fixed Interfood Intervals, William L. Palya

Research, Publications & Creative Work

The ability of stimuli correlated with successive periods in a fixed interfood interval to support a response that produced or removed them was examined using pigeons. The degree to which those correlated stimuli elicited directed key pecks was also obtained. Stimuli early in the interval functioned as negative reinforcers, and stimuli late in the interval functioned as positive reinforcers. Stimuli correlated with successively later portions of the second half of the interval supported successively higher rates of elicited pecking and, with the exception of the final stimulus, supported successively higher rates of stimulus production. Stimuli in successively earlier portions of …

Determinants Of Elite Athletes' Commitment To Sport: Examination Of The Sport Commitment Model In The Professional Sport Domain, Tammy Kay Hall

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the applicability of the Sport Commitment Model for a group of elite, professional athletes. The model proposes that an athlete's commitment will increase as sport enjoyment, personal investments, social constraints, and involvement opportunities increase and will decrease with an increase in involvement opportunities. The influence of identification as an athlete, a determinant of commitment not included in the original model, was also examined. One hundred and eighty three professional football players from the Canadian Football League (CFL) (n = 121) and National Football League (NFL) (n = 69) participated in the study. Each subject completed …

Predicting Aggression Among Inpatient Adolescent Males With Mmpi Scales, Kent Hughes

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The purpose of this study was to develop a linear model of predicting aggression in inpatient adolescent males using selected MMPI clinical and special scales. The definition of aggression was measured by the number of seclusion and restraint interventions necessitated by each participant. Hospital records of 186 patients over a three year period were reviewed for MMPI data and seclusion and restraint information. Multiple regression analysis was utilized to analyze the data. A predictive equation was established including the MMPI Scale 8(Sc) in predicting number of restraint interventions. Although this equation was statistically significant at the .01 level, it was …

The Relation Of Anchoring And Choice To Memory Self-Efficacy And Performance In Older Adults, Renee Annette Baldi

Master's Theses

The major purposes of this study were 1) to examine the effects of self-efficacy on task choice, effort and performance on a memory task, and 2) to examine the effect of sequence anchoring on self-efficacy judgments. Forty-two older adults (25 women and 17 men) completed the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), a memory complaints questionnaire (MCQ) , a self-efficacy questionnaire (SEQ), and two memory recall tasks. Subjects received an SEQ that had either a descending anchor (i.e., SEQ began with most difficult task) or an ascending anchor (i.e., SEQ began with easiest task). Also, subjects were either given a choice of …

Effects Of Checklists And Feedback On Interviewer Documentation Errors, Ann Lynn Linklater

Masters Theses

A multiple baseline design was used to compare the effectiveness of checklists and feedback to improve marketing research telephone interview documentation. Three measures based on the combined errors of four interviewers were obtained: (1) errors per completed interview, (2) errors per interview with errors, and (3) most frequently occurring error in each of three error groups. The effects of three additional factors believed to affect interviewer performance were also investigated: (1) marketing research project, (2) complexity of the interview, and (3) lead worker responsible for editing completed interviews.

Only slight, mostly positive changes were visually evident across the dependent measures. …

Gender Differences Among Resilient Children, Cameron Gilbert

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While the concept of resiliency is beginning to be addressed in the literature, little is known about gender differences among resilient children. The purpose of this study was to identify familial and environmental variables which would predict gender among resilient children. This study investigated gender differences between resilient boys and girls on the following variables: parental attitude toward education, educational level of the father, educational level of the mother, familial drug or alcohol use/abuse, incidence of physical and/or sexual abuse, and extracurricular activities. These variables were selected for study because of the importance of investigating factors in the family environment …

Relationships Between Student Motivation Training & Motivation, Achievement, Attendance & Classroom Behavior, Kelly Davis

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of the present study was to replicate a student motivation training program (Hughes, 1990) and extend the investigation by including the relationships between student motivation training and achievement, attendance, and classroom behavior. Participants were all 4th- and 5th -grade students from two elementary schools. A separate -sample, pretest-posttest control group design was used. The study addressed eight questions regarding the effects of student motivation training. Results indicated that student motivation, teacher perceptions of student motivation, and the number of motivational idea units on two of three writing samples were enhanced as a result of the training program. No …

Validation Of A Portuguese Form Of Templer's Death Anxiety Scale, James M. Donovan

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

To translate Templer's Death Anxiety Scale into the Brazilian Portuguese Escala de Ansiedade de Morte, linguistic validity was first established by back-translation and calculating bilingual split-half reliability coefficients. Even-numbered items achieved a minimally adequate .59, while the odd-numbered items attained a satisfactory .91. The internal consistency of the Escala (.77) matches that found for the original scale. The construct validity was tested by replicating the interactions of the English form with (1) the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, (2) the Purpose-in-Life Test, and (3) Levenson's measure of locus of control. The Escala performed as expected, save for some difficulty with the locus …

The Acute Effects Of Cocaine In Pigeons Performing Under A Progressive-Ratio Schedule, Claudia Ann Jones

Masters Theses

Although the progressive-ratio (PR) schedule has been used frequently to quantify the reinforcing effectiveness of self-administered drugs, it has seldom been used to examine the effects of drugs on food-maintained behavior and has never been used to evaluate the effects of cocaine on such behavior. In the present study, the effects of acute administrations of cocaine were evaluated in pigeons responding under a PR schedule of food delivery. Overall, cocaine produced a dose-dependent effect on food-maintained behavior. In general, acute administrations of cocaine at 0.56 to 3.2 mg/kg increased breaking points, whereas doses above 5.6 mg/kg decreased breaking points. Low …

An Experimental Demonstration Of The Transitive Conditioned Establishing Operation With Pigeons, Rachel Nunes Da Cunha

Dissertations

Skinner (1938) dealt with motivation in terms of the operations of deprivation/satiation and aversive stimulation. Later, Keller and Schoenfeld (1950) introduced the term establishing operation to refer to such motivative variables, and Michael (1982, and in press) expanded the Keller and Schoenfeld (1950) concept to include a type of learned motivative variable not explicitly identified in the earlier treatments. The purpose of the present research is the laboratory demonstration of this form of motivation, that Michael referred to as a transitive conditioned establishing operation (CEO).

The present experiment used a treadle-key procedure similar to that of Ailing (1990), but with …

Computer-Based Fluency Training With The Terminology Of Behavior Analysis, Guillermo E. Yaber-Oltra

Dissertations

This study examined the effects of computer-based fluency training on the learning of behavior-analysis terminology. Sixty-nine undergraduates studied the definitions of half a set of behavior-analysis terms using a computer program Think Fast (Parsons, 1989), and half using their regular methods. Think Fast training items consisted of typing the words missing from definitions. On seven out of nine post-training quizzes, students were better able to define terms previously studied with the computer program. In a related experiment, volunteers studied half a new set of terms using the computer, either typing or saying the answers. Students mastered the definitions better when …

The Effects Of A Monetary Incentive System On The Performance Of Rolloff Truck Drivers, Jeanne Marie Lameie

Dissertations

Studies have shown that individuals working under individual monetary incentive conditions perform at higher rates than those working under an hourly pay condition (Farr, 1976; Frisch & Dickinson, 1990; Gaetani, Hoxeng, & Austin, 1985; George & Hopkins, 1989; London & Oldham, 1977; Nebeker & Neuberger, 1985; Orphen, 1982; Terborg & Miller, 1978; Yukl, Wexley, & Seymore, 1972). Although these studies indicate that incentive pay improves productivity, the results of two laboratory studies suggest that the portion of pay that is tied to performance is not important (Frisch & Dickinson, 1990; Gillette, 1991). In other words, once pay is linked to …

Correlates Of Job Satisfaction Among Private Sector Employees In Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Al-Helelah

Masters Theses

The primary objectives of the present study were to explore the level of job satisfaction and commitment among private sector employees in Saudi Arabia, and to examine the relationship between job satisfaction and employees' commitment.

Seven alternative hypotheses were tested against seven null hypotheses. Chi-square (x^2) was the test statistic for all seven hypotheses. The critical value of chi-square was determined by the degrees of freedom (df) and an alpha level of.05. Three hypotheses were confirmed that related job satisfaction to employees' commitment, satisfaction with length of working hours, and satisfaction with opportunities for interaction with co-workers on the job. …

An Assessment Of Role Ambiguity, Role Conflict, Role Frustration, And Job Satisfaction Of Presidents At Selected Private Four-Year Colleges In The Southeastern United States, Gary W. Juhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Current literature has suggested that the role of the college president has perhaps become too ambiguous, complex and demanding for an individual to perform for an extended period of time. The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship between perceived role ambiguity, role conflict, role frustration and job satisfaction of selected private college presidents in the Southeastern United States. The method of the study was correlational in design. Using a thirty-seven item questionnaire developed by the author, data were collected from 141 college presidents of institutions within the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The institutions were private …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Work Involvement And Family Involvement And Work-Family Conflict In Dual-Career Families, Elizabeth Jean Allen

Dissertations and Theses

The present study examined the relationship between work involvement and family involvement and work-family conflict in dual-career families. Four hundred thirty-six couples (436 females; 436 males; N = 872) in dual-career relationships were recruited from a bank organization in the Northwest United States. The survey questionnaire contained three sections to measure work and family involvement, work-family conflict, and sociodemographic information. Data analyses were conducted using multiple regression analysis and a 1 X 4 ANOVA to examine the proposed relationships among the study variables. Results demonstrated the following: across study participants, work involvement accounted for a significant amount of variance in …

Technical Adequacy Of The Lap-D & Dial-R Motor Scales, Mary Mcquaide

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The researcher examined the relationship between the motor scales of the Learning Accomplishment Profile-Diagnostic Revised Edition (LAP-D) and the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning-Revised (DIAL-R) motor scales. Specifically, the strength of the relationship and the consistency of identification between the motor scales of these two measures were examined. The sample consisted of 29 children ages 38-67 months selected from the LAP-D normative sample which was stratified for gender and race. Children were administered tests in random order. The study results revealed the following: 1) the LAPD and DIAL-R motor scales were significantly and positively correlated; 2) LAP-D and …

Inhibition, Distraction & The Aging Frontal Lobe, Robert West

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

lbeories in both the fields of ognstsvc aging and human neuropbychology have suggested that an impairment in the ability of an individual to inhibit irrelevant or distracting information either present in the environment or generated within the individual can ha‘ e detrimental effects on performance on a wide variety of cognitive tasks including text processing, inference formation, planning, and selective attention A number of researchers have attributed this increased distractibility in both clinical populations and health\ older individuals to a decline in or impairment of the functioning of the frontal lobes The present study extends findings suggesting a decline in …

A Millon-Based Study Of Political Personality: Nelson Mandela And F. W. De Klerk -- Part I: Method And Preliminary Results, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This paper reports the method and preliminary findings of an investigation of the political personalities of South African president F.W. de Klerk and African National Congress president Nelson Mandela. The purpose of the study was to assess the utility of Theodore Millon’s personological model as an alternative or supplementary conceptual framework and methodology for the assessment of political personality. Conceptually, the investigation was conducted from the perspective of a model of personality compatible with Axis II of DSM-III-R, which serves as an important psychodiagnostic frame of reference for the practice of contemporary psychiatry and clinical psychology. Methodologically, the investigation involved …

Materialism And The Self, Kathleen Shirley Micken

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

Materialism has been called the most significant macro development in modern consumer behavior. Despite its importance, research about the construct is rather new. Two scales have been developed to measure materialism, one proposed by Belk, the other by Richins and Dawson.

The purpose of this dissertation is threefold. First, it extends the materialism research program by investigating the relationship between materialism and one's self concept. Hypotheses which drive the research posit that people who are more materialistic have lower self-esteem, are less likely to be self-actualized, are extrinsically rather than intrinsically motivated, and are likely to be high self-monitors. The …