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Choice By Rats For Enriched Versus Standard Home Cages Plastic Pipes, Wood Platforms, Wood Chips, And Paper Towels As Enrichment Items, Anita Lynn Bradshaw

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether simple additions to the home cages of rats made those cages preferable to standard housing arrangements. Results indicated that the majority of rats preferred cages with wood platforms, wood chips, and paper towels to otherwise identical cages without these items. Wood chips were not, however, practical with the cages used in the present study. Plastic pipes caused no problems but were not preferred by the majority of individual animals. Both wood platforms and paper towels created no problems and appeared to be useful as enrichment items. The latter were preferred …

Social Psychology And The Stimulation Of Recycling Behaviors: The Block Leader Approach, Shawn M. Burn

Psychology and Child Development

Recycling has been touted as an important part of the solution to solid waste problems, yet most citizens still do not recycle, even when recycling is made easy by curbside pickups. This field experiment was designed to increase participation in a city-sponsored curbside recycling program. Citizens who consistently recycled with the city program were approached and asked to be "recycling block leaders." Those who agreed were instructed to give approximately 10 nonrecycling neighbors a persuasive communication advocating recycling and special recycling bags. A second treatment group (of nonrecycling households) had bags and the communication left at their door. Results indicated …

Psychophysiological And Personality Correlates Of Repression And Sensitization, John Patrick Kline

Student Work

This study assessed relationships among indices of modulation of stimulus intensity by the autonomic and central nervous systems, perceptual defense, and repressive coping. Subjects were twenty female and nine male paid volunteers between the ages of 19 and 38. Perceptual defense, defined as the difference in recognition thresholds for unpleasant versus pleasant words, was assessed with a tachistoscopic masking paradigm. Auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) were obtained in an augmentation reduction paradigm that evaluated cortical responses to discrete tones of varying intensity. Cardiac responses to these same tones were also obtained. Amplitude/intensity slopes were determined for P2 amplitudes obtained from the …

Touch Avoidance And Eating Disorders: A Relational Study, Christine L. North

Student Work

This relational study had therapists from an eating disorder program distribute a touch avoidance questionnaire to patients currently in treatment for an eating disorder. This study looked at touch avoidance among three groups: subjects with an eating disorder and non-sexual abuse background, subjects with an eating disorder and sexual abuse background, and a control group. The questionnaire consisted of the 20 question Same-Sex Touching Scale (SSTS) (Larsen & LeRoux, 1984) and the Touch Avoidance Measure (TAM) (Andersen & Leibowitz, 1978). T-tests revealed a significant value of -2.19 on the TAM between eating disorder and eating disorder/sexual abuse, a score of …

A Comparison Of Three Procedures For The Establishment Of A Novel Response With Delayed Reinforcement, Jayson W. Wilkenfield

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to compare three procedures for examining the degree to which delayed response-dependent presentations of food would result in the acquisition of lever-pressing in rats. Although there is an abundance of research examining the maintenance of behavior with delayed reinforcement, few studies have investigated reinforcement delays in the acquisition of new discrete behaviors. Historically two different procedures have been employed in the study of delayed reinforcement. In a nonresetting delay procedure a response sets up the delivery of a reinforcer to occur after t seconds, and responses that may occur during the delay interval …

The Effect Of Fear Of Success And Perceived Task Difficulty On Cognitive Performance, David Eugene Elkins

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship of fear of success (FOS) and perceptions of task difficulty, their interactive effect on anagram and matrix-task performance and possible gender differences on these variables. A total of 226 students, 83 males and 143 females, participated in the study. FOS was measured by the administration of Zuckerman and Allison's (1976) Fear of Success Scale. Perceptions of task difficulty were manipulated by use of falsified normative data. Subjects therefore believed the upcoming task was either easy or difficult or the subjects were employed as controls. An anagram task and 12 items selected from Raven's Standard Progressive …

The Role Of Priming In The Rating Process: An Investigation Of Priming Effects In A Simulated Assessment Center, Rebecca Regan Keever

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Through interactions with others in the assessment center, an assessor may be exposed to potentially biasing information (priming). Research from other fields indicates that raters will use this prior information in making judgments. This study examined priming in a simulated assessment center, using a 2 (primed or unprimed) by 2 (trained or untrained) by 2 (prestige-relevant or relevant-only source of information) within-subjects design. A total of 136 participants observed and rated the behavior of three candidates. Primes describing behaviors engaged in by each candidate were presented before participants observed them. All information was presented by either a professor or a …

Computer Use In The Scientific Office, Douglas L. Miller

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Over the past two decades computers in research and development organizations have become a complex and integral part of the work process. Yet to date only a handful of systematic investigations have addressed issues involving scientists' or other professionals' use of computers, and very little is known about factors influencing use (Bikson and Gutek, 1983; Blacker and Brown, 1986; Collopy, 1988; Gasser, 1986; Helander, 1985; Nickolson, 1985; Pope, 1985). As a result, this research was designed to address four objectives. The first was to develop and evaluate a descriptive model of variables influencing scientists' computer use. The second objective was …

A Comparative Analysis Of Nurse Leaders' Degree Of Transformational Leadership And Staff Nurse Job Satisfaction, Kathie Sawyer Weatherly

Ellmer School of Nursing Theses & Dissertations

The intensified pressure for change in nursing organizations has presented nurse leaders with opportunities to transform bureaucratic settings into professional practice environments. Transformational leadership has been identified as supporting the changing values of staff nurses and promoting job satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to explore nurse leaders' degree of transformational leadership and the relationship between transformational leadership and staff nurse job satisfaction. Quantitative analysis, using an independent t-test, indicated a significant difference between nurse leaders' and staff nurses' perception of the nurse leaders' degree of transformational leadership. Pearson correlation analysis indicated a significant relationship between transformational leadership and …

Relocation Decision-Making In Dual-Career Couples, Lori Bartels

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the decision-making process of individuals in dual-career couples when faced with a job opportunity in a distant city. The purpose was to determine which factors would be given the most importance by males and females during the decision process.

Each scenario presented an identical situation in which the participant was offered a job in a distant city. Following this paragraph were five brief statements representing five factors; job opportunities for self, job opportunities for spouse, career commitment--self, career commitment--spouse, and economic considerations. Two levels (moderate and high) of each factor were used in order to manipulate the …

Operator Strategies Under Varying Conditions Of Workload, Ruth Justine Arnegard

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study attempted to operationally define and measure strategic behavior in a complex multiple task environment. The Multi-Attribute Task battery was developed to simulate various aspects of flight and consisted of an auditory communication task, monitoring tasks, a tracking task, a resource management task which allowed a wide range of responding patterns, and a scheduling window which allowed operators to predict changes in workload. This battery was validated for its sensitivity to strategic behavior and baseline measures for each individual task were collected.

Twenty-four undergraduate and graduate students then performed the battery for four 64-minute sessions which took place …

Difference Between Maternal Characteristics And Home Environments Of Day Care And Non-Day Care Families, Eva Granahan Clarke

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine differences between maternal characteristics and the home environments of families who planned to use day care and those who did not. The relationships between maternal personality characteristics and the other variables under investigation were also examined. The subjects completed four questionnaires which assessed attitudes towards working mothers, maternal separation anxiety, parenting stress, and general personality characteristics. The home environment was assessed by the Home Observation for the Measurement of the Environment. The subjects in the study were 16 mothers who planned to remain home and not place their children in day …

Finding The Abundant Life: An Academic Perspective, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

The Neuropsychology Of Traumatic Brain Injury 1991, Nova University

College of Psychological Services / College of Psychology Postgraduate Student and Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Demographic, Religious, And Retirement-Related Issues As Predictors Of Spiritual Well-Being Among Retired United States Army Chaplains, James H. Young

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

According to the literature, internal, subjective spiritual health may be measured objectively using the construct of spiritual well-being. This study sought to identify the variables which in linear combination would predict the spiritual well-being of retired United States Army chaplains.

The participants consisted of a sample of 105 retired United States Army chaplains. The final number of respondents was 71, or 68% of the population.

Spiritual Well-Being (SWB), the dependent variable, was the summed total of Religious Well-Being (RWB) and Existential Well-Being (EWB). Ten predictor variables measured demographic, religious, and retirement-related issues. The demographic issues were the number of years …

Judgment Bias In Baseball Umpires First Base Calls: A Computer Simulation, Janet D. Larsen, David W. Rainey

Psychology

Tested 39 baseball umpires and 39 undergraduates, using a computer simulation of 1st-base calls to determine the role of the prior entry phenomenon in close plays. Because umpires are directed to focus their attention on an auditory stimulus (ball hitting the glove), they may experience prior entry of the auditory stimulus, resulting in safe runners being called out. There were more errors when runners were just safe and safe because of a tie than when runners were just out, indicating that prior entry occurred in the simulations. This was more pronounced among umpires than controls.

Defining Codependency : A Factor Analytic Approach, Kimberly A. Elliott

Master's Theses

This study examined the construct validity of the Friel Inventory, via relationship with the ACL. A factor analysis of the ACL scores collected from 89 introductory psychology students was conducted. These factors were then correlated with the items of the Friel Inventory, which was from the same subjects. The purpose was to determine if codependence, as measured by the Friel Inventory, was a unique construct or a combination of well researched personality traits, as measured by the ACL. The findings supported the former as the correlations among the Friel Inventory items and the ACL factors yielded no relationships above that …

Demographic, Religious, And Retirement-Related Issues As Predictors Of Spiritual Well-Being Among Retired United States Army Chaplains, James H. Young

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

According to the literature, internal, subjective spiritual health may be measured objectively using the construct of spiritual well-being. This study sought to identify the variables which in linear combination would predict the spiritual well-being of retired United States Army chaplains. The participants consisted of a sample of 105 retired United States Army chaplains. The final number of respondents was 71, or 68% of the population. Spiritual Well-Being (SWB), the dependent variable, was the summed total of Religious Well-Being (RWB) and Existential Well-Being (EWB). Ten predictor variables measured demographic, religious, and retirement-related issues. The demographic issues were the number of years …

A Computer Simulation Of Braitenberg Vehicles, Eric B. Werkowitz

Theses and Dissertations

In his treatise, Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology, Valentino Braitenberg used simple, autonomous vehicle designs to illustrate the principles behind animal nervous system organization and operation. The goal of this effort was to produce a computer program to allow a researcher to experiment with these concepts and to analyze their performance using methods employed by experimental psychologists. The resulting program allows the user to design vehicles that respond to changes in their environments and that have the ability to adapt their behavior, using a learning algorithm developed by Teuvo Kohonen. The vehicle designer is free to select sensor attributes, …

An Undergraduate Psychology Conference At Nova University, Nova University

CPS Undergraduate Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Pacifism And Emotional Arousal, Mark R. Mcminn, Scot A. Bolsinger, Stephanie A. Celley, Stephen L. Benson, Cathie J. Lebold

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Excerpt: "At the age of eighteen, American youths must make an ideological decision about war. Although most probably perceive selective service registration as little more than a rite of passage, others struggle with the ethics of military service and options of conscientious objection.

What can be said of youths who decide, for moral and religious reasons, that they will not be involved in warfare? To date, no descriptive studies have been reported that address this question. Previous studies on pacifism focus on the likelihood of pacifism in eliciting cooperation (Gruder & Duslak, 1973; Marwell & Schmitt, 1973) or aggression (Borden, …

Police Evidence And Court Outcomes For Drunk Driving Cases, Dale E. Berger

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

From police arrest records and case narratives, we collected information on the evidence reported from each of four phases of a drunk-driving arrest.

Exercise Preference And Social Identity, Misty Sherman

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Childhood Maltreatment, Adult Attachment, And Emotional Adjustment, Cynthia Suzanne Nicholson

Theses Digitization Project

Possible relationships between early mistreatment, adult attachment security (Interpersonal functioning), and apprehension and melancholy.

Effect Of Work Experience On Graduate Students' Anxiety For Future Work, Gila A. Azar

Theses Digitization Project

Part-time vs. full-time students -- Age range of 23 to 51 years -- Business and social work majors -- Self-efficacy -- Work apprehension.

Work Identity And Motivations Among Female Volunteers As A Function Of Attitudes Toward Women And Gender Role., Sandra Smith Mella

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

College Students' Perceptions Of A Successful Manager, Valerie Sue Perez

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

What, If Anything, Are Adult Children Of Alcoholics?, Roxanna Alcaraz

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

The Self-Esteem Of Chronically Ill Adolescents, Nancy Berman Lees

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Moral Orientation And Decision-Making: Ethnic And Gender Differences, Janice Lee Rank

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.