Digital Commons Network^™

A Method For Knowledge Engineering In Clinical Decision Making, Sheila S. Giere

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to validate the problem behavior evaluation section of an expert system computer program, Class.BD. Class.BD was developed to assist special education personnel in determining whether students qualify for special education services as behaviorally disordered/severely emotionally disturbed students.

The subjects were six Utah who regularly individuals from 1) work with the state of behaviorally disordered/severely emotionally disturbed students and 2) participate in multidisciplinary assessment teams. Three of the subjects were special educators, and three were school psychologists.

Specifically, this study investigated the impact of five behavioral factors on the subjects' ratings of the seriousness of …

Assessing Mental Health Needs In Northern Haiti: A Multidimensional Approach, Jean Abede Alexandre

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

This study assessed mental health needs in Northern Haiti, with the socioeconomic and sociocultural factors which predispose to mental disorders. Following the Key Informants approach to needs assessment, two groups were chosen to participate in this study: 27 out of 60 physicians and 30 out of 70 clergymen (n = 57), completed a questionnaire which asked specific questions on certain mental disorders they have either observed or dealt with among the population. The participants were also asked to give the frequency with which those disorders occurred among the population, and to rate the importance of factors contributing to those mental …

Choice In The Classroom: Human Impulsivity And Self-Control, John W. Esch

Dissertations

Eight high school students' choice behavior was studied in an applied educational setting. Students were divided into two groups based on choice patterns for immediate grade points and academic on-task performance. Students were classified as dependent-impulsive when they chose immediate points and their on-task performance was good. Students were classified as avoidance-impulsive when they chose delayed points (avoidance) and their on-task performance was poor. Dependent-impulsive choice patterns were considered maladaptive because constant information on good performance promotes dependence on support from others. Avoidance-impulsive choice patterns were considered maladaptive because they allowed students to avoid immediate aversive information on performance that …

A Social Exchange Approach To Explaining Satisfaction With Therapy, Brenda B. Counts

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the effect of Reward, Cost, Comparison Level, Comparison Level of Alternative, and Investment on Satisfaction and Commitment in therapy from the perspective of social exchange theory and the investment model. Relationship variables were assessed by 114 subjects for the beginning of therapy, the first few sessions: middle of therapy, when therapy was clearly underway and issues were being dealt with; and the end or last few sessions. Results confirmed that Satisfaction and Commitment were significantly predicted by greater Reward, lower Cost, and Comparison Level. Investment was consistently positively related to Commitment and not to Satisfaction. However, …

The Impostor Phenomenon In The Classroom: Personality And Cognitive Correlates, Barbara H. Cromwell

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study was designed as an ex post facto investigation of the Impostor Phenomenon (IP) in high-achieving students on the secondary educational level. The purpose of the study was to ascertain if impostors could be differentiated from non-impostors on the basis of gender, grade level, grade point average (GPA), personality characteristics and irrational beliefs. A cutoff score of 40 on the Harvey IP Scale was selected a priori to divide subjects into impostor and non-impostor groups.

Subjects for this investigation consisted of 104 honors English students in grades nine through twelve from a large suburban high school in Southeastern Virginia. …

A Comparison Of Traditional And Non-Traditional Women's Preferences For Family Oriented Vs. Career Oriented Men, Lee M. Handeland

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

One hundred sixty two female university students were divided into two groups according to their level of traditionality as measured by the Attitude Toward Women Scale. They were shown a photograph of a moderate to high attractive male along with a short description identifying the male as having either a high-career/low-family orientation, or a low-career/high-family orientation, and asked to report their degree of preference for this target. Analysis found significant main effects for traditionality of the subjects, career/family orientation of the targets, and an interaction of traditionality of the subjects and attractiveness of the targets. Further analysis indicated the presence …

Task-Hemispheric Integrity Effect: Level Of Task Difficulty And Mental Workload In A Dual Task, Nancy E. Hite

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The task-hemispheric integrity effect states that when a spatial and verbal task must be time-shared, superior performance would be obtained when the same hemisphere that processes information also controls the hand used to respond. The effect of increasing the level of task difficulty on an unstable tracking task on the concurrent performance of a dichotic listening task was investigated. The results indicated that performance on the unstable tracking task significantly deteriorated as task difficulty level increased in both single- and dual-task conditions. However, performance on both the unstable tracking task and the dichotic listening task was not influenced by hand …

A Comparison Of Minimal-Therapist-Contact Programs In The Treatment Of Chronic Headaches, John Kesselring

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to compare the relative efficacy and cost-efficiency of two reduced-therapist-contact formats for delivery of a behavioral package to treat chronic headaches. The 8-week treatment was delivered in a group-administered format to one treatment group and in a self-administered format to a second. A waiting-list control group was also included. Treatment components included education about headaches and their precipitants, relaxation training, and cognitive-behavioral stress management techniques. The participants in the study suffered from migraine, mixed, or tension headaches. Eleven subjects were assigned to each of the 3 treatment conditions. At posttreatment subjects in the group-administered …

The Effectiveness Of Correspondence Training In Controlling Aggressive Behavior Between Children In Play Settings, Naiel Albkower

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of say/do correspondence training in controlling aggressive behavior between children in play settings. Two experiments assessed the effects of children's verbal statements, to play in a friendly manner with others, on the incidence of aggressive behavior during actual play. The results of the first experiment indicated that, in most instances, the number of aggressive incidents decreased as a result of the correspondence training in all subjects except one where the effects of treatment are not clear.

In the second experiment, the incidents of aggressive behavior decreased during the intervention to …

Couples' Interpretations Of Unwanted Sexual Advances At Three Stages Of A Dating Relationship, Kerrie D. Quinn

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Sexual aggression in dating is now a widespread social phenomenon. The present study was designed to examine interpretations and expectations in a sexual disagreement situation within young dating couples. Forty-five heterosexual couples classified into one of three distinct stages of involvement (first date, several dates, or steady dating) were asked to complete several questionnaires requesting background and sexual information, and respond to six brief scenarios describing dating situations. It was hypothesized that the respondent's sex, couple's dating stage, woman's type of ''No" response, and the level of intimacy were related to the following: a woman's preferred response to her partner's …

Accuracy Of Performance Measurement: An Investigation Of Training Method And Amount Of Practice, Salvatore J. Cesare

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of training method and amount of practice-and-feedback on the accuracy of performance ratings and behavioral observation. This research was a 3 x 3 factorial ANOVA design. Training method was comprised of frame-of-reference, cognitive modeling, and a no-training control group. Practice-and-feedback consisted of 0, 1, and 3 practice trials. Undergraduates (N = 99) were randomly assigned to one of nine experimental conditions. Each participant viewed and rated 7 videotaped interview simulations. The results for performance ratings indicated that (a) frame-of-reference training produced the most accurate ratings for elevation, differential elevation, and …

Attitudes Of Control And Weight Management, Carolyn Lee Edwards Wright

Dissertations and Theses

Applications of locus of control theory to weight loss programs have yielded inconsistent results. This study attempts to clarify "control" by looking at two different factors. Maximum control is the degree of perceived control inherent in the event itself, and personal control is the degree to which the event is perceived controllable by the individual. These two factors were also examined in two types of situations to determine whether individuals have one global outlook on control, or if they make a distinction between control in some situations as opposed to control in other situations. Seventy-four female subjects completed a 16 …

Numerical Competence In A Chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes), Sarah T. Boysen, Gary G. Berntson

Sentience Collection

A chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), trained to count foods and objects by using Arabic numbers, demonstrated the ability to sum arrays of 0-4 food items placed in 2 of 3 possible sites. To address representational use of numbers, we next baited sites with Arabic numbers as stimuli. In both cases performance was significantly above chance from the first sessions, which suggests that without explicit training in combining arrays, the animal was able to select the correct arithmetic sum for arrays of foods or Arabic numbers under novel test conditions. These findings demonstrate that counting strategies and the representational use of numbers …

Non-Breeder Asymmetry In Florida Scrub Jays, Jonathan P. Balcombe

Ethology Collection

The data of Woolfenden and Fitzpatrick (1984) show a statistically significant asymmetry in the sex ratio of non-breeders when one of the breeders is not the non-breeder's parent. 1 propose that the asymmetry is attributable to a combination of two factors acting on non-breeders: the value of inheriting a territory, and incest avoidance. Although natal territories are only occasionally inherited by non-breeders, and then apparently only by males, the rate of inheritance is significantly higher for parent/step-parent breeders (n = 6) than when both breeders are the non-breeder's parents (n = 1). An alternative hypothesis, that step-parents determine the non-breeder …

Gender Differences In Salary Expectations When Current Salary Information Is Provided, Beth G. Martin

Psychology

No abstract provided.

Vol. 12 No. 2 (1989): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, and …

Vol. 12 No. 2 (1989): Pacific Studies Full Issue, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, and …

Contributors: Vol 12 No. 2, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Contributors list of Vol. 12 (1989): Pacific Studies Full Issue 2

Risk Perception And Precautionary Intent For Common Consumer Products, Elaine G. Martin

Master's Theses

This study attempted to determine if accident scenario analysis reduces accident frequency misestimations and leads to heightened precautionary intent for products. Subjects generated or were provided with scenarios and made estimates. Other subjects made estimates at varying paces without analysis. These and an additional group then rated their precautionary intent for the products. Subjects also gave rating's for confidence in their estimations reported injury experience related to the products. No differences were found among the group correlations. Analyses showed that the Scenario groups performed no better and sometimes worse than the other groups. The Hurried subjects reported lower precautionary intent …

Correlations Between Spiritual Well-Being, Self Esteem, And Social Desirability For Chinese Americans In The Northwest., Elsa Wong

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The Chinese in America must deal with two cultures. Their original culture with its traditions and norms may clash with the larger Western culture in which they live. How this tension is resolved and manifested was examined in terms of a number of factors, including spiritual well-being, self esteem, and social desirability. It was hypothesized that for a Chinese church group in the Northwest, spiritual well-being and self esteem would be positively correlated with social desirability factored out of the relationship. Spiritual well-being was measured by the Spiritual Well-Being Scale which included a total Spiritual Well-Being score, the Existential Well-Being …

Effects Of Age On Motor Preparation And Restructuring, Paul Amrhein, Noreen Goggin, George Stelmach

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Age-related decrements in motor plan restructuring were investigated. In this experiment, older and younger adults performed a discrete aiming task that involved responses that were precued and responses that were modified at the time of an imperative signal. On 75% of the trials, the precue specified the response-stimulus (valid trials) with respect to the movement parameters of the arm (left or right) and direction (toward or away). On the remaining 25% of the trials, the response-stimulus was different from the precue (invalid trials) in that the subject was required to modify a planned movement by changing the arm to be …

Demonic Influence And Mental Disorders, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

A Model Of Suicidal Behavior In Latency Age Children Based On Developmental Object Relations Theory, Stephen Henry Michaelis

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis attempts to explicate the manifestation of suicidal behavior in latency age children based on developmental object relations theory. It asserts that the susceptibility to suicidal behavior becomes part of the child's developing ego organization during the first three years of life as the result of deviant or distorted emotional development. These disturbances interfere with the normal internalizing processes of the separation individuation phases, including the development of psychological mechanisms.

To accomplish the purpose of the study, the thesis generally classifies object relations theory within the parameters of developmental psychopathology and specifically classifies it as a component of contemporary …

An Evaluation Of The Spiritual Well-Being Scale: Reliability And Response Measurement, Daniel Dale Brinkman

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWB) is a 20 item self-report attitudinal measure of one's religious and existential well-being. It is the most extensively studied of the instruments developed to measure spiritual well-being (Moberg, 1986). Despite the popularity of this scale, it is still in the process of research and development. This study evaluated research done with the SWB scale considering the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (1985). While there has been much progress, two needs that became clear from this examination were for additional studies in the area of reliability and to try to "raise the ceiling" of the …

Evaluation Of Group-Home Treatment For Troubled Adolescents, Roger A. Larson

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

A literature review in child residential treatment and juvenile corrections snows group homes have increased as less restrictive methods for treating delinquents are sought. Controversy exists over whether the increased use of community-based group-home treatment has actually resulted in less restrictive treatment. Some data indicates that children themselves do not view out-of-home residential treatment environments as supportive places in which to live. Rapid staff turnover has been identified as a problem in group-home care. Treatment evaluation studies can be viewed as falling into four types: descriptive studies, outcome studies, process evaluators, and systems analysis. The outcome studies conducted to date …

The Effect Of Deliberate Faking Good And Faking Bad On Spiritual Well-Being Scores In A Religiously Inactive Sample, Neal A. Boliou

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of faking good and taking bad on Spiritual Well-Being Scale scores in a religiously inactive sample. The study replicated a previous work investigating the effects of faking good and faking bad on SWB scores in a Christian sample. It is a true experiment with three levels of the independent variable: Fake Good, Honest, and Fake Sad instructions. The sample consisted of 151 members of two Oregon Air National Guard units stationed at Portland, Oregon. A demographic questionnaire was given along with the SWB scale. An analysis of variance was performed …

The Comparative Effectiveness Of Systematic Desensitization And An Integrative Approach In Treating Public Speaking Anxiety: A Literature Review And A Preliminary Investigation, Ana M. Rossi, William J. Seiler

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

An analysis of the literature related to public speaking anxiety (PSA) and various treatments of it are discussed. PSA is a state or situational type of anxiety which can have tremendous effects on those who suffer from it. Two of the major treatments—systematic desensitization (SD) and the integrative approach (IA)—are reviewed and then experimentally tested to determine which is the more effective in treating PSA. The results are somewhat inclusive, but there is strong evidence to suggest that both SD and IA reduce trait and state anxiety. It was found, however, that IA is more effective in decreasing the symptoms …

Assertiveness Training And Christian Values, Scot A. Bolsinger, Mark R. Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Assertiveness training, like any psychotherapeutic procedure, requires an understanding and tolerate of various values of clients. Studies exploring the relationship between religious values and assertiveness are reviewed. Ideological obstacles in assertion training with religious clients are considered, and appropriate therapeutic strategies suggested. The importance of presenting a rationale for treatment and of understanding the client's value system is emphasized.

Effects Of Involvement On Persuasion: A Meta-Analysis, Blair T. Johnson, Alice H. Eagly

CHIP Documents

No abstract provided.

The Eating Disorders: A Comprehensive Bibliography Of Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia, Deeanne Lynn Ashley

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.