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The Effects Of Confidentiality Gender And Subject Shyness On The Social Desirability Response Bias, Scott D. Bradshaw

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effect of confidentiality on objective and semi-projective personality measures. Confidentiality was manipulated by telling the subject his/her responses would, or would not, be discussed with the examiner. The effect was assessed by comparing a subject s scores on two different measures of the same construct'ne test completed with confidentiality, the other without. It was hypothesized that subjects in the non-confidential condition would alter the responses on the measures and that this effect would be greatest with opposite gender pairings of subjects and examiners. The possible moderator variables of shyness, self-monitoring, and self-actualization were also examined. Data …

Religious Orientation And Sex-Role Attitudes: The Apportionment Of Paid Employment Childcare And Household Tasks Within The Context Of Marriage, Gregory Ralph Caron

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between intrinsic/extrinsic religious orientation and sex-role attitudes within the context of marriage. Three hundred and ten students from urban Catholic high schools participated in the study. Sex-role attitudes were measured using Likert-type scales reflecting judgment on apportionment of time between spouses for paid employment, childcare, and housework. Also, Likert-type scales reflected perceived comfort, perceived marriage satisfaction, and divorce probability for a husband and wife represented in an egalitarian and a traditional sex-segregated scenario. Sex-role attitude scores were examined by categorizing students according to gender and high/low intrinsic and extrinsic groups. …

The Effects Of Social Support On The Psychological Adjustment Of Navy Wives Experiencing Deployment, Marci A. Harris

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The military, particularly a Navy deployment, provides unique challenges and stresses to the military family. The present study investigated the effects of social support on the psychological well-being of Navy wives experiencing spousal deployment. Sixty-three Navy wives in the Tidewater, Virginia area completed questionnaires on depression, self-esteem, and daily stress, as well as on the size of and satisfaction with affective and instrumental support. Assessments were made before, during, and after the deployment. Results of stepwise regressions showed that satisfaction with various aspects of social support significantly (p < .05) predicted levels of depression, self-esteem, and daily stress at all three phases of deployment. Results also showed that psychological wellbeing was lowest at middeployment. Findings demonstrate the importance of developing satisfactory social support systems prior to, during, and after deployment.

Effects Of Extraversion And Gender On Self-Disclosure Of Emotion With A Same-Sex Friend, Patrick M. Ulmen

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The study examined subjects' perceptions about disclosure of emotion by a stimulus person who was depicted as extraverted or introverted, and subjects' self-disclosure of emotion based on their own level of extraversion. In addition, the role of gender in disclosure of emotion was examined. The findings on differences in disclosure of emotion based on gender are considered tentative. Males self-disclosed anger more to same-sex stimulus persons than did females, but this was the only significant difference. An introverted compared to an extraverted stimulus person was found to elicit more disclosure about emotions associated with calmness and depression. Emotions which an …

The Effect Of Menopause Stage And Exercise On Perceived Body Image And Depression, Barbara Anne Waters

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the impact of menopause stage and level of exercise on depression and perceived body image with 101 women aged 40-60 years. Instruments included a demographic information sheet, the Life Experience Survey (LES), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ). The relationship between menopause stage and depression was not significant. The relationship between menopause stage and perceived body-image was also not significant. Menopausal women do not appear to be more depressed or to have lower body-image perceptions when compared to premenopausal women. The main effect for amount of exercise and perceived body image …

An Analysis Of Urban Higher Education Ceo's Perceptions Of Critical Leadership Behaviors, Linda Ferguson Banis

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The research question for this study asked if CEO's (Chief Executive Officers) of urban higher education institutions hold the same values and beliefs as those attributed to business and industry CEO's through the business literature. Through survey methodology, the analysis of urban higher education CEO's perceptions of critical leadership behaviors revealed very similar belief patterns. The primary discrepancies between the research group and their industry counterparts lie in the degree to which critical behaviors are espoused and in the acceptance of transformational leadership as a proactive model for effective organizational change. The responses to the open-ended portion of the questionnaire …

The Relationship Among Absorption Anxiety And Frontal Electromyogram, Jeffrey E. Atkinson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the relationship among absorption, anxiety (state and trait), and frontal EMG in a sample of sixty undergraduate students. These relationships were examined during a baseline (relaxation) condition and during an anxiety condition during which an extemporaneous speech was given. It was determined that absorption was inversely related to state anxiety and trait anxiety was directly related to state anxiety measured after the relaxation period. Absorption and/or trait anxiety were not related to state anxiety after the speech anxiety condition. There was no relationship between absorption or trait anxiety and frontal EMG during either condition. In addition, state …

Sexual Orientation Body Image And Sexual Functioning, Charlie Bryan Finch Jr.

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Comparisons were made between 78 heterosexual men, 113 heterosexual women, 55 gay men, and 54 lesbians (N = 300) on a variety of body-image and sexual-functioning measures. In comparison to heterosexual men, gay men were more cognitively invested in their appearance, less satisfied with their muscularity and physical fitness, and were less invested in their fitness. Gay men also evidenced a relatively stronger sex drive and experienced premature ejaculation less frequently and inhibited orgasm more frequently. In comparison to heterosexual women, lesbians were more satisfied with their body areas, less cognitively and behaviorally invested in their appearance, and less worried …

The Relation Between Maternal Behavior And Childrearing Goals And Child Outcomes In Low-Income Black Children, Dawn D. Wimbush

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the relation between maternal goals and practices and preschool children's cognitive development and behavioral compliance. Fifty low-income Black mothers of three- to five— year-old children were interviewed and completed several questionnaires that assessed childrearing goals and practices. The HOME, a measure of maternal stimulation was also assessed. Children were administered the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities and an achievement test. Child compliance to maternal requests was observed in the home. Considerable diversity was found in maternal childrearing goals. For the most part, maternal goals were not related to child outcomes; however, indirect-internal techniques (Sears, Maccoby, & …

Determinants Of Feedback-Seeking Behaviors, Melinda J. Montgomery

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present research was to evaluate the effects of the level of task difficulty, the value of the goal, and the amount of effort required to obtain feedback on the frequency of feedback-seeking behaviors (FSB). The design was a 2 (task difficulty) x 2 (goal value) x 2 (effort) x 3 (day) mixed model analysis of variance. Eighty undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of eight experimental conditions. Each participant played a computerized stock market game for three "days". Three types of referent feedback and three types of appraisal feedback were available. The results indicated that more …

A Program Evaluation Of The Welcome Baby Project: A Primary Prevention Program For Teenage Mothers And Their Infants, Susan A. Murdock

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The central purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Welcome Baby Project (WBP), a primary prevention program with the mission of promoting child development and a positive relationship between "at-risk" adolescent mothers and their infants and to prevent disorders of attachment, child abuse and neglect, and unwanted, repeat pregnancy. Intervention involved weekly home visits by trained parent volunteers for children from birth to two years.

The WBP mothers and a control group of adolescent mothers were compared on assessments collected during a home visit. Participants were asked to complete the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI), and the …

Inhibitions And Compensations: A Study Of The Effects Of Negative Sanctions In Three Pacific Cultures, Jeannette Marie Mageo

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Transfer Of Thermal Biofeedback Training From One Hand To The Opposite Hand, W. Thomas Bundick Jr.

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Thermal biofeedback is a way to train subjects to raise and lower peripheral skin temperature. Raising skin temperature has been shown to be useful in treating vascular disorders such as migraine headaches and Raynaud's disease. This study examined the effect that, training of one hand has on subsequent training of the other hand. Subjects were given three sessions of training in either hand warming or hand cooling with their dominant hands, followed by one session of warming or cooling with the opposite hand. Based on prior research, it was hypothesized that prior training of one hand would facilitate training of …

The Effect Of Persuasion, Across Task Difficulties, On Self-Efficacy, Performance And Persistence A Thesis, Linda J. Kaiser

Student Work

Self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1977a, 1982, 1986) postulates that efficacy expectations can be modified by persuasion if it is perceived as being instilled by a credible source, it is realistic, and it is not in opposition to performance information. Subsequent research revealed equivocal results for the relationship between persuasion and self-efficacy. This study investigates the effects of persuasion, across task difficulties, on selfefficacy, performance, and persistence. A mathematical task was utilized. Six hypotheses were tested. Persuasion was found to be effective in a hardtask situation. Gender had a substantial impact on the results of this study; overall findings may have been …

The Vertical Dyad Linkage Model & The Perception Of Task Characteristics, Kenneth Kolosh

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present study addresses two competing leadership models, the Vertical Dyad Linkage (VDL) model and the Average Leadership Style (ALS) model. The VDL model states that supervisors treat subordinates differently depending on a variety of variables (e.g., the subordinates competency, skill, trustworthiness, etc.). The ALS model states that, on average, a supervisor treats all of his/her subordinates equally. This study raises two fundamental questions that pertain to both leadership models. First, does the VDL model or tile ALS model more accurately describe leadership behavior for the first line supervisor who is in charge of blue-collar subordinates? Second, is there a …

Kin Recognition In Vertebrates: What Do We Really Know About Adaptive Value?, Andrew R. Blaustein, Marc Bekoff, John A. Byers, Thomas J. Daniels

Sentience Collection

The ability of an animal to discriminate between kin and non-kin (kin recognition) has been the subject of numerous recent investigations. Grafen (Anim. Behav., 1990, 39, 42-54) recently reported that the evidence in support of kin recognition is weak and the data illustrating a preference for kin to associate in the laboratory may be more consistently explained as species recognition. It is suggested here, however, that in many cases it may be impossible to distinguish between species recognition and kin recognition, but in some cases, kin recognition seems apparent. It is also emphasized that very little is known about the …

The Effects Of Religious Orientation On Selective Exposure To Information Which Supports Or Contradicts One's Beliefs, James Warren Jr.

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

One hundred and two fundamentalist Christians were administered scales measuring three religious orientations (intrinsic and extrinsic religion and religion-as-quest) and selective exposure. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between the three orientations and selective exposure to religious information. Selective exposure was measured in three ways: Belief confirmation - seeking belief-supporting information; Selective avoidance - avoiding belief-contradicting information; and Differential exposure - seeking belief-confirming information while avoiding contradicting information. Results of this study indicate that both quest and intrinsic religion predict the desire to read belief-confirming information. For selective avoidance, only quest predicted willingness to read counter-attitudinal …

The Effects Of Immediate Versus Delayed Feedback On Error Detection Accuracy In A Quality Control Simulation, Matthew A. Mason

Masters Theses

A computer simulation was developed to examine the effects of immediate versus delayed visual feedback on the accuracy of identifying specified aberrations in sample stimuli. In a self-paced computer tutorial, subjects learned to identify particular aberrations in a schematic diagram of a hard disk drive. During experimental sessions, subjects were exposed to a series of 200 samples presented four at a time sequentially on a computer screen, and were required to indicate with a computer mouse whether or not each sample drive contained an aberration. Accuracy of error detection was assessed under four experimental conditions: (1) self-paced, immediate feedback; (2) …

The Effect Of A Conditioned Establishing Operations Procedure On Rats Responding On A Vi 30 Second Schedule For Sweetened Condensed Milk, Daniel James Knip

Masters Theses

Previous research on conditioned hunger paired food deprivation with a neutral stimulus. Amount of food eaten was typically the usual dependent variable, and the stimulus was visual, auditory or gustatory. The present study used rate of response as dependent variable, and paired an olfactory stimulus with food deprivation.

An experimental and control group each contained eight rats. Rate of bar pressing for sweetened condensed milk was the dependent measure. The experimental animals were then exposed to a vanilla scent during a period of extreme food deprivation. They were next allowed to bar press for liquid food under one hour of …

The Effects Of Quality Contingent Extrinsic Rewards On Intrinsic Motivation, Kimberly Ann Filler O'Connor

Masters Theses

Although many studies have shown that performance-contingent rewards increase performance quantity, few have examined whether quality contingent rewards increase quality. One objective of the present study was to determine whether quality contingent rewards would improve quality.

A second, independent objective was to determine whether extrinsic quality contingent rewards would decrease a person's intrinsic interest in and quality performance of a task following termination of those rewards. To date, no other studies have examined the effects of quality contingent rewards on intrinsic interest and quality performance.

The results indicated that quality performance-contingent rewards do improve quality. Quality contingent rewards increased quality …

Contrived Versus Natural Reinforcers In The Acquisition Of A Verbal Repertoire By Adult Learners, Lisa Ann Leblanc

Dissertations

Previous research suggests that by making classroom contingencies for verbal responding more like those in the natural environment, i.e., by using motivative variables to evoke verbal responses which are followed by specific actions on the part of listeners, verbal repertoires can be taught more effectively to children and language impaired individuals. The present study examines the role of specific versus generalized conditioned reinforcement following adult students' question-asking on the acquisition of a verbal repertoire in a classroom setting and on the generalization of this repertoire to a more natural verbal environment.

Subjects were 32 university students in two American Sign …

The Training Of Initial Behavioral Assessment Interview Skills, Mark J. Hirsch

Dissertations

Two manuals were used to train behavioral assessment interview skills. The first manual outlined eleven initial responses the therapist must make to determine the controlling variables related to a client’s problem. The second manual outlined strategies for dealing with evasive or nonappropriate responses made by a client. Subjects were graduate students from the psychology department of Western Michigan University who had no experience in conducting assessment interviews. Six subjects participated. Simulated therapy sessions between subjects acting as therapists and confederates acting as clients were conducted. Scripts were utilized to standardize confederate responses. Each session dealt with a clinical concern amenable …

Effects Of Training Method On Inspector Accuracy In A Simulated Quality Control Task, Cathy L. Thorne

Dissertations

This study compared the effects of three training programs on inspector accuracy. The inspection task required 38 subjects to detect errors in geometric figures. All three training programs provided the same written descriptions of correct and incorrect figures, and all three training programs provided examples of correct figures. What differed among the programs was the type of incorrect figures. Individuals assigned to the Correct Sample Only Group were not shown any incorrect figures. Individuals assigned to the Critical Differences Group were shown incorrect figures which contained only one error at a time. Individuals assigned to the Multiple Differences Group were …

The Effects Of Mephenytoin On Schedule-Controlled Responding In The Pigeon, Victoria Mary Pellettiere

Masters Theses

Acute and chronic effects of mephenytoin (30 - 360 mg/kg) were examined in pigeons responding under a multiple fixed-ratio 50 fixed-interval 90-sec schedule of food delivery. The highest dose administered acutely (240 mg/kg) produced substantial reductions in rate of responding under both components of the multiple schedule; the effects of other doses were small and inconsistent. Tolerance appeared to develop to the rate-decreasing effects of mephenytoin following chronic exposure to the drag.

The Effects Of Negligence And Causation Information On Jurors' Determination Of Liability, David K. Blanchard

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the effect of arguments for and against defendant's behavior being negligent and for and against defendant's behavior being a cause of damages to the plaintiff. The findings were (a) that negligence arguments affected negligence ratings, causation ratings, and verdicts and (b) that causation arguments affected none of the measures.

The Effects Of Bilateral Injections Of Neuropeptide K Into The Medial Preoptic Area On Male Rat Copulatory Behavior, Peter Malen '91

Honors Projects

The first mammalian neuropeptide to be characterized was substance P (sP) , and it is now recognized that sP is a member of a structurally related family of peptides, the tachykinins. Extensive studies have demonstrated. that sP and some related tachykinin peptides play key roles as neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. The synthesis of different members of the tachykinin family is in part due to the modifications' of three sP-encoding preprotachykinin (PPT) mRNA's that are derived from a single sP gene. At least four tachykinin peptides can be synthesized as a result of these differential modifications including sP, neurokinin A, neuropeptide and …

Memory For Threatening Material, Leslie D. Pritchard

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Source Of The Hebb Repetition Effect As Indexed By Indirect And Direct Measures Of Retention, Gina M. Digiovanni

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Personality, Values, And Ability Correlates Of Leader Emergence And Leader Member Exchange Quality, Elona C. Crain

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Bilateral Injections Of Substance K Into The Medial Preoptic Area Have No Effect On Malr Rat Sexual Behavior, Kevin Short '91

Honors Projects

Within the last five years, there has been increasing interest in the role of neuropeptides in the neuroregulation/modulation of both male and female sexual behavior. The impetus for this derives from several findings. Firstly, certain neuropeptides and their receptors are located in brain loci previously implicated in both male and female sexual behavior. Secondly, and most important, is the rapidly accumulating evidence that the concentrations of certain peptides within these behaviorally-relevant loci are regulated by gonadal steroids .