Digital Commons Network^™

Knowing Which Way Is Up: Sex Differences In Understanding Horizontality And Verticality, Gary A. Goodrich

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In previous research men have been shown to obtain higher mean scores on tests of horizontality (H) and verticality (V) than do women. This study investigated the role of experiential factors in this gender difference. Undergraduate psychology students were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: training, enhanced training, and placebo. The pretest measure of verticality and horizontality (V/H), training, and posttest were administered via videotape. Major findings were: men obtained higher mean V/H scores than women; V and H scores correlated significantly; and training increased performance relative to a placebo, but enhanced training was not superior to standard …

The Effect Of Dyad Interaction And Marital Adjustment On Cognitive Performance In Everyday Logical Problem Solving, Donna R. B. Rogers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The theory of formal operations as a final stage of adult development has come under criticism for various reasons, primarily the overemphasis on logical thought processes which are based on invariant and absolute rules within a closed system. Everyday problems, in contrast, are typically "open-ended" and are defined by the context in which they are embedded.

The purpose of this study was to investigate cognitive behaviors that occurred between two individuals as they cooperatively worked together to solve logical problems. Of interest were the effects of marital adjustment on cognitive performance, the relation between social behaviors, marital adjustment, and cognition, …

The Impact Of Psychosocial Variables On Immune System Functioning In A Sample Of Hiv-Positive Males, Gary K. Richey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study addressed the issue of the relationship between psychological well-being and immune function in a sample of HIV seropositive homosexual and bisexual males. A control group of HIV seronegative gay males was included. The study assessed the relationship between various psychological independent variables and immune system functioning over a 24-month time period for the seropositive subjects. Data on depression, coping style, psychosocial stress, and psychomatic symptoms were collected at baseline, as well as data on depression at 12 months and CD4 counts at 6-month intervals over a 2-year period. Preliminary analyses comparing HIV seropositive to HIV seronegative subjects showed …

A Study In Gender Schema Theory, Jenny Hopkins

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Pain Locus Of Control And Treatment Adherence At Long-Term Follow-Up From An Interdisciplinary Pain Center, Lisa J. Wall

Student Work

Locus of control is a cognitive construct that can be quantified and used in conjunction with other social learning theory variables to predict human social behavior. Previous research suggests that when a person perceives rewards and punishments as being contingent upon personal actions, (i.e. they possess an internal locus of control) behavior is quite different compared to when such reinforcements are perceived to occur independently of personal efforts and characteristics.

Pain is one of many areas in which there has been a significant amount of interest in relating locus of control health beliefs to a variety of relevant behaviors. Whether …

Occupational Stress Among Nurse Administrators In General Hospitals In Tennessee, Ruby T. Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the level of occupational stress among nurse administrators and to identify the types of strategies used by nurse administrators to deal with or manage occupational stress. The study examined the relationship between selected demographic variables, occupational stress, and strategies. The research design included five research questions along with seven null hypotheses testing the relationship between occupational stress and demographic variables--age, gender, marital status, years of professional nursing experience, years as a nurse administrator, educational attainment, and hospital bed capacity. There were seven additional hypotheses testing the relationship between the same demographic variables …

Dynamics In The Fine Structure Of Schedule-Controlled Behavior, William L. Palya

Research, Publications & Creative Work

The variability in the behavioral equilibrium established by six basic schedules was characterized. The measures were the pause preceding the first response in each interreinforcement interval; the mean rate of responding in each interreinforcement interval; and the relative frequency of each interresponse time. The temporal windows ranged across the 780-session exposure, across a session, and across the interreinforcement intcrval. A display of individual intcrresponse times as a function of time in the interreinforcemcnt interval indicated clear recurrent responding at somewhat less than 3 Hz in every bird, even after extended exposure to a schedule and regardless of the contingency. No …

The Effect Of Combat On Aircrew Subjective Readiness And Lso Grades During Operation Desert Shield/Storm, Scott A. Shappell, David F. Neri

Publications

The effect of operational tasking on aircrew readiness during combat operations continues to be an area of intense investigation within the U.S. Navy. The recent Persian Gulf War provided a unique opportunity to collect data examining aircrew work/rest cycles and operational tasking in a combat environment. For 4 consecutive weeks during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 18 A-6 and 18 F-14 aviators onboard the USS AMERICA (CV-66) completed daily work/rest logs of their activities while conducting operations from the Red Sea. Activities on the work/rest logs were coded to a resolution of one-half hour. Several flight parameters were also …

Implications Of Mediating Parent-Child Interactions In The Treatment Of Child Abuse, Connie Faye Nelke

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Child abuse has been shown to have a detrimental effect on the emotion development of the abused child. Due to a history with the parent that includes a high proportion of negative interactions and an impaired parent-child relationship, the child who has been subjected to physical abuse often manifests psychological symptoms. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect that treatment aimed at increasing the frequency of positive interaction in the parent-child relationship had on the emotional status of the abused child. Results showed that parent-child interaction play sessions were effective in increasing positive interaction and decreasing subsequent …

The Efficacy Of Multidisciplinary Treatment Programs For Chronic Low-Back Pain: A Meta-Analysis, Jane E. Curtis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Chronic low-back pain is a prevalent and costly problem for many adults in the United States. Currently, multidisciplinary treatment approaches are the treatment of choice for this problem. A meta-analysis was conducted on 43 published studies to describe the nature of these programs, the patients involved in them, treatment efficacy at discharge and follow-up, and possible relationships between these characteristics and outcome.

Results show that these programs were often in university medical settings, with an emphasis on active patient participation. Common treatment approaches included physical therapy, skills training, medication management, supportive therapy, and behavior modification. Patients involved in these programs …

Identifying Differences Among Male Sex Offenders: Child Molesters Versus Exhibitionists Versus Voyeurs, David P. Defrancesco

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Social histories and testing data were compiled during initial placement assessments of 147 individuals arrested and charged as child molesters, exhibitionists, and voyeurs. These data were statistically analyzed using discriminant analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Child molesters, exhibitionists, and voyeurs were found to differ with regards to history of voyeurism; Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) L scale scores; sexual arousal in response to a violent scenario involving a 12-year-old male, measured via penile plethysmography; and age. Implications of these results are discussed relative to the population sampled and future research.

Learning Disabled Students' Performance On The Child Behavior Checklist, Dawn Wright '92

Honors Projects

The research to date on the behavioral and emotional problems of learning disabled students has focused mainly on young boys. A majority of the studies in this area have been done by Michael Epstein (Epstein, Cullinan, & Rosemier, 1983; Epstein & Cullinan, 1984; Epstein, Cullinan, & Neiminen, 1984; Epstein, Bursack, & Cullinan, 1985; Epstein, Cullinan, & Lloyd, 1986). He used the Behavior Problem Checklist (Quay & Peterson, 1987) to determine which behavioral/emotional items, rated by teachers of learning disabled students, loaded on certain factors. However, this instrument has been shown to be relatively unreliable; therefore, the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach …

A Pessimistic Look At Optimism, Maureen Sidio

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

The personality construct of optimism has been shown to be related to important outcome measures like depression, physical health and achievement. Several recent studies have questioned the psychometric uniqueness of the concept of optimism and its relationship to neuroticism. This study examined this relationship and found that the measures of optimism were as highly correlated with neuroticism as they were with each other. Results are discussed in the context of optimism being a subordinate construct in the multifaceted construct of neuroticism.

The Effect Of Self-Rated Attractiveness On Personal And Interpersonal Functioning, Bonnie Mathis

Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experience Program (OURE)

Self-ratings of erne's own physical attractiveness among 455 students (311 male and 144 female) were compared with their scores on a scale measuring personality (the California Psychological Inventory) and subjective perceptions of their body weight In addition, they completed two measures of shyness; the Social Provisions scale (Russell & Cutrona, 1984); the Student Adjustment to College Questionnaire (Baker & Siryk, 1984); and the Interpersonal Betrayal Scale. For both sexes, self-rated physical attractiveness correlated significantly with (a) all seven folk scales (dominance, capacity for status, sociability, social presence, self-acceptance, independence, and empathy) on Cluster I (extraversion) of the CPI; (b) two …

Selected Demographic And Mmpi Scales As Predictors Of Seclusion And Restraint In An Inpatient Psychiatric Adolescent Male Population, Steven G. Hamming

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Working with troubled adolescents is a challenging and sometimes dangerous occupation. one of the means of control often employed in treatment settings with aggressive youth is seclusion and restraint. This intervention is intended as a means of helping the youth regain control while maintaining the safety of the therapeutic milieu for the other patients and staff members. Research implicates several demographic factors and personality styles which are observed with aggressive acting out in male adolescents. To examine the ability of these variables to predict the aggressive behavior warranting seclusion and restraint, archival data were collected from 186 former inpatient adolescent …

Reinforcement Of Compliance With Postitive And Negative Commands And Its Effect On Inappropriate Behavior In Children, Mary Jacobs Zielinski, Howard Levine, Daniel Houlihan

Psychology Department Publications

This study examined reinforcement of compliance with positive (''do'') and negative ("don't") commands, along with its effects on inappropriate behavior in children. The design of the study was A-B· A-C-B-C counterbalanced across two subjects. In both subjects, reinforcement of compliance to .. do" commands resulted in increased compliance to this type of command. Similarly, reinforcement of compliance with "don't" commands resulted in increased compliance to "don't" commands. In addition, a tendency for compliance with the reinforced type of command to generalize to the nonreinforced type was observed in some phases. Response covariation was.also observed in some phases. Response covariation was …

Comprehension Of Role Reversal In Chimpanzees: Evidence Of Empathy?, Daniel J. Povinelli, Kurt E. Nelson, Sarah T. Boysen

Sentience Collection

Four chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, were individually trained to cooperate with a human partner on a task that allowed both participants to obtain food rewards. In each chimpanzee-human dyad, one of the participants (the informant) could see which pair of food trays on a four-choice apparatus was baited, but had no means of obtaining it. The other participant (the operator) could pull one of four handles to bring a pair of the trays within reach of both participants, but could not see which choice was correct. Two of the chimpanzees were initially trained as informants and adopted spontaneous gestures to indicate …

A Survey Of Computer Use In Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Sites, Martha E. Parks

Masters Theses

Eighty-three Western Michigan University occupational therapy fieldwork sites were surveyed to determine: (a) extent of computer use, (b) diagnostic categories with which computers are used, (c) extent of computer knowledge of registered occupational therapists (OTRs), and (d) adequacy of computer knowledge of fieldwork students. Forty-seven (56.6%) of the 83 surveys were returned. OTRs at 36 (76.6%) of the 47 sites currently use computers. Word processing is the most common way in which these OTRs use computers. The most common clinical use of computers is perceptual/motor assessment and treatment, while the most common research use of computers is for report writing. …

Relationships Among Gender, Gender Role Individualized Trust, And Self-Disclosure, John D. Foubert

Master's Theses

Self-disclosure, the process of revealing personal information to other people, was examined in relation to gender, gender role and individualized trust. Undergraduate subjects (N = 293) completed the Jourard Self-Disclosure Scale (Jourard, 1971b), the Individualized Trust Scales (Wheeless & Grotz, 1977), the Bem Sex Role Inventory (Bem, 1974), and a demographic questionnaire. Significant interactions emerged between gender and individualized trust (p < .01), gender and gender role (p < .05), and individualized trust and gender role (p = .01). An androgynous gender role was shown to lead to higher rates of self-disclosure in the high trust condition but not in the low trust condition. Although masculine males and masculine females did not disclose differently, feminine females disclosed markedly more than feminine males. The relationship between individualized trust and gender role revealed an increase in self-disclosure common to androgynous individuals is restricted to those who are high trusting.

Preventive Dental Care- Instruction And Contingency Management In The Acquisition And Maintenance Of Oral Hygiene Skills, Sandra K. Kallstrom

Masters Theses

Inadequate oral hygiene is one of the largest problems facing the dental profession to date. It is estimated that 98% of individuals suffer from dental problems associated with neglect. The objective of this study was to develop effective techniques which aided in the acquisition and maintenance of oral hygiene skills. This study compared the effects of instruction and demonstration with contingency management on plaque percentage scores. A between-subjects design was used with one control and three experimental groups. The results indicated that, oral hygiene instruction and demonstration appear to be ineffective in reducing plaque scores. Significant plaque reductions where found …

Eating Disorders, The Imposter Phenomenon, And Achievement In A Nonclinical Population, Anne Marie Ross Jordan

Master's Theses

The Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), the Work and Family orientation Questionnaire (WOFO), and the Impostor Phenomenon (IP) Scale were compared to determine whether these tests measure similar phenomena in women in a nonclinical population. Each test was subjected to factor analysis to explore existing factor structures. The combined scales of the three tests were factor analyzed, and four factors emerged. The EDI scales loaded on two factors (Symptomology and Immaturity), and the IP Scale loaded on both of these factors. The WOFO loaded on two separate factors (Achievement and Personal Unconcern), with the Perfectionism and Interpersonal Distrust scales of the …

A Behavioral Overview Of Self-Control, Shannon Kay Swick

Masters Theses

The present paper is a review of behavioral self-control literature with self-control defined as the choice of a larger, more delayed reinforcer over a smaller, less delayed reinforcer. The paper includes a self-control experiment in which the subjects were adolescent males labelled Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The results show higher levels of self-control than those generally seen in similar subject populations. Self-control literature in behavioral psychology is examined and explanations for varying results are discussed.

Letter Recognition By Mentally Retarded Adults: Improving Performance Through Differential Outcomes, Paul R. Malanga

Masters Theses

Four mentally retarded adults were taught to recognize (i.e., discriminate) finger spelling letters when presented as members of unchanging pairs (e.g., A and E, G and H). Correct responses were followed by food or verbal praise. On average, terminal accuracy was significantly greater when a correct response to a given letter was consistently followed by a particular outcome (e.g., food followed correct responses to A and praise followed correct responses to E) than when nondifferential outcomes were arranged (e.g., food followed 50% of all correct responses and praise followed the remaining 50%, regardless of whether the responses were to A …

The Relationship Between Gender And Empathy On A Telephone Hotline, George Shepeard

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The impact of gender upon levels of empathy within the context of a volunteer telephone hotline was examined. Male and female confederates placed fictitious telephone calls to the hotline which were recorded and evaluated for state empathy. Trait empathy of the hotline volunteers was also assessed and results revealed no gender differences. A gender of caller by gender of telephone worker analysis of variance on state empathy ratings revealed no significant main effects or interactions. A significant negative correlation between age of the telephone worker and the empathy levels was found. The lack of expected findings is discussed in terms …

Social Support For Family Caretakers Of The Chronically Mentally Ill, Gina L. Bankes

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the relation between coping style, social support, family member symptom severity, and negative affect. Fifty-one caretakers of chronically mentally ill family members completed a demographic questionnaire, a general appraisal questionnaire, a family member symptom severity questionnaire, the Coping Strategy Indicator, the Social Support Questionnaire, and the Multiple Affect Anxiety Checklist. Caretakers with family members living at home were different than caretakers with family members living away from home (HOME) in several respects. Controlling for HOME, family member symptom severity was related to negative affect, coping strategies were related to negative affect and the Social Support Questionnaire …

The Effects Of Style Of Timing Cue On Motor Skill Acquisition, Michael A. Freeman

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The hierarchical model of motor programs asserts that a new movement is learned in hierarchical stages, and that movement timing control develops within each specific stage. The present study investigated whether learning within these different hierarchical stages is favored by different styles of timing cues. Three groups of right-handed subjects (total N = 48) learned to trace a short path while a specific style of auditory timing cue was introduced. Cues were presented in either a movement-synchronized style (cues occurring every time a movement change is required), an isochronic style (equal time interval cues), or with no cues (the control …

The Measurement Of Mood Variation Over Time And Its Relation To Performance, William T. Pinkston

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Variation in mood states over time and the relationship between mood states and task performance were investigated using the Profile of Mood States (POMS), the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List - Revised (MAACL-R) and the Rotter's IE locus of control test. These tests along with anagram and digit cancellation tasks were administered twice a week for six weeks. A correlational analysis was performed. The results showed a higher correlation between mood state measures as the subjects' moods varied over time than between either mood measure and locus of control which did not covary with either of these measures. There was …

Developmental Changes In Predictors Of Job Satisfaction For Female Elementary School Teachers, Donna Owens Collier

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The purpose of this study is to examine predictors of job satisfaction for female elementary school teachers. Specifically, how do personal variables and career variables affect job satisfaction at various age levels?

The subjects in this study were 386 females who teach kindergarten through sixth grade in an urban public school system. A survey was used to collect information about age, personal variables, career variables, and current level of job satisfaction. Personal variables included marital status, number of children and educational level. Career variables included number of years in the teaching profession, number of positions held during the teaching career …

About Faces: The Investigation Of Electrodermal Activity (Eda) As It Relates To The Recognition And Naming Of Faces, Donald J. Shearer

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigates and replicates the occurrence of a "W" pattern or compound electrodermal activity (EDA) response as it relates to the perception and naming of faces first found in Shearer and Mikulka (1991). Thirty-four male and thirty-four female subjects were randomly assigned to two conditions. The two conditions were balanced for sex having 17 males and 17 females each. The subjects were each presented 40 facial stimulus slides and the accompanying EDA responses were recorded. In the experimental condition subjects were required either to name (identify) the face or give a "feeling of knowing" rating of the face. In …

An Exploratory Factor Analysis Of The Character Assessment Scale, Kenneth Edward Lloyd

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

During the past three decades there has been a resurgence of interest among the social sciences in the study of morality. Among the theoretical perspectives demonstrating this growing interest has been the trait/individual difference approach, represented by the comprehensive personality-based theories of Peck and Havighurst (1960) and Hogan (1973), and a variety of more narrowly focused, trait-based instruments. One such instrument is The Character Assessment Scale (CAS) developed by Schmidt (1981, 1987). The CAS is a 225-item, true-false scale incorporating conventional moral values. scale composition includes (a) eight moral strength scales, (b) eight corresponding moral weakness scales, (c) eight combined …