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Behavioral Toxicology Of A Glucocorticoid: Analysis Of Selected Behavioral And Physiological Effects Of Repeated Prednisolone Treatment, Robert G. Sewell

Dissertations

Glucocorticoids are used medicinally for numerous chronic ailments. While dramatically effective, glucocorticoid treatment is replete with psychiatric complications. The behavioral toxicology of glucocorticoids, however, remains relatively unexplored. Therefore, 13 laboratory studies were performed to analyze the influence of prednisolone, a representative glucocorticoid, upon varied behavioral and physiological endpoints in rats. Experiments 1-3 showed prednisolone to produce marked hypodipsia, body weight loss, selective adrenal gland atrophy, hyperactivity, hyperalgesia, altered grasping responses, hyperglycemia, enhanced predation, and conditioned taste aversion. Most of these findings were directly dependent upon dose, and where explored, number of treatments. The remaining ten studies examined both acute and …

Instructional Control Of Leniency In Self-Appraisals, Maria Barnum Nelson

Masters Theses

Self- and supervisor ratings were obtained on four classifications of non-teaching public school employees across two instructional conditions. Self-ratings showed more leniency in the condition where employees were instructed not to meet with the supervisor to discuss the ratings; self-ratings showed less leniency in the condition where employees were instructed to meet with the supervisor to discuss the ratings. Despite foreknowledge of the research question and instructional conditions, supervisors showed a tendency to rate employees differentially according to the instructional conditions. The results of the analyses demonstrate the potency of instructional control on rating behavior by employees and supervisors. Questions …

Cultural Characteristics Of Learning And Perceptual Skills Of Southeast Alaskan Native 5-Year-Olds, Thomas J. Turkon

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the use of cognitive skills by 5-year-old Alaskan Native children on a standardized testing instrument. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence (WPPSI) were administered to 23 boys and 17 girls of predominantly Tlingit, Tsimshean, and Haida ancestry. A standardized parent interview was used to collect bio-demographic data. Mean scores for the sample displayed significant differences between the Performance and Verbal scales, with the strongest performance in the Spatial subtests, and lowest in the Sequential subtests. Scores were significantly associated with variables representing culture-specific self identity and behavior, but were most strongly associated with family size. …

A Study Of The Interrater Agreement Of Therapists Using The Basic I.D. Profile As An Assessment Tool, Jimmy Mann

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In using the BASIC I.D. profile as an assessment tool, seven modalities of the client are assessed: Behaviors, Affect, Sensations, Imagery, Cognitions, Interpersonal relationships, and Drugs (physiological condition). The purpose of this s•udy was to assess the interrater agreement of the BASIC I.D. profile when used as an assessment approach in psychotherapy. The raters were 15 graduate students in clinical and school psychology at Western Kentucky University. Six actors served as subjects who simulated clients coming to a psychotherapist for his/her initial interview. Two experienced interviewers portrayed therapists conducting the initial interview with the subject. The interviews were videotaped and, …

Traits As Self-Schemata And Their Effect On Recall Of Content-Specific Adjectives, Victor Lee Barrow

Master's Theses

The concept that personality traits serve as a priori self schemata cognitive structures in memory was investigated. College students from University of Richmond were tested on recall of 160 content-specific adjectives and then administered the Personality Research Form. After being shown the list of adjectives, subjects were given a five-minute distractor task and then given fifteen minutes to recall as many adjectives as possible. A correlational analysis was performed on the scores on the personality traits of achievement, affiliation, autonomy, dominance, endurance, nurturance, order, play, sentience, and understanding and with the recall of content-specific adjectives. The correlation between the trait …

Effect Of Internal Consistency On The Cpi Social Dominance Scale On The Predictability Of Dominance Behaviors, Jerry Guttman

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to show that the degree of consistency that people demonstrate on personality measures is positively related to the degree to which behaviors representing the personality domains can be predicted. Thirty five female consistent personality scale respondents and Thirty eight female inconsistent scale respondents participated in small group discussions. The results showed that for all females, scale scores on the California Psychological Inventory subscaJe of dominance were predictive of three measures of dominance behaviors in the discussion group. Consistent personality scale respondents had no measures that were significantly correlated with the dominance scale score, whereas …

Self-Efficacy Expectancy As A Training Technique In Personal Evangelism, Glenda C. Loomis

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Bandura's self-efficacy theory was applied to a religious variable, namely personal evangelism, in a sample of 31 volunteers from a Christian liberal arts college. The study sought to determine whether a significant relationship exists between the kind of training a person receives in evangelism and the individual's subsequent self-efficacy expectancy, outcome expectancy and intention to perform the behavior. Three treatment emphases were used: a) an intellectual emphasis which provided individuals with arguments, proofs and evidences for the validity of Christianity; 2) an affective emphasis which encouraged individuals to rely on their faith and devotion to God, which would result in …

The Effect Of Training On The Helping Behavior Of Religiously-Oriented Persons, Randy P. Marsh

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Persons who adhere to a religious faith or theology based upon the Bible value its teachings that call for responsiveness to the needs of others. However, belief often varies from behavior. Prior research (Darley & Batson, 1973, Batson, 1976, Batson & Gray, 1981, Batson & Ventis, 1982) has found that religious orientation consistently predicts differences in helping behavior. A particular disparity exists between quest oriented persons, who are typically responsive to the stated needs of others, and end oriented persons, whose responses seem more dependent upon an internal need to appear helpful. The present study hypothesized that such differences are …

Development Of A Screening Device For Western Conservative Baptist Seminary Using Mmpi Clinical, Research And Subscales, Demographics, Sentence Completion And Seminary Attrition Scale, J. Ross Neder

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The purpose of this study was to develop a method by which to screen prospective students for the possibility of future adjustment difficulties with seminary life. The final goal for this information is to identify students who would benefit from extra support and guidance. A random sample of 55 male M. Div. students from Western were given the MMPI, Sentence Completion, Seminary Attrition Scale, Demographics and a new scale developed by the author, the Seminary Socialization Scale (SSS) in the spring quarter of 1984. The 20 question SSS correlated in the expected direction with 44 pathology measures on the MMPI …

School Of Psychology Fall Schedule 1985, Nova University

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

No abstract provided.

Social Support Networks: The Effects Of Sex And Personality Variables On Utilization Of Resources, S. Dee Treschuk

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of sex and various personality characteristics on the utilization of social support resources for four types of problems (day to day problems, "most serious" problem, emotional and material problems). An interview format was used in order to assess actual events in peoples' lives. Chi-square tests were performed to determine significant differences. Gender differences were found in the use of specific network members for day to day problems. As predicted, females utilized the family more than males; and males named "no one" more than females. For emotional problems, females utilized "love" …

Attributions Of Martial Conflict Among College Students, Gary Franklin Sigler

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

A study of single college student attitudes toward conflict was conducted to determine the attributions (internal versus external) they make regarding marital conflict scenarios (of mild to moderate to extreme severity). Between group differences of persons from divorced versus non-divorced homes were predicted as I well as sex differences with men making more external and females making more internal attributions. As expected, female actors did score higher than male actors on internal attribution. And females from both groups did rate the scenarios as more serious than males from both groups, as indicated by their higher mean rating of seriousness. However, …

The Effect Of Intuition On Creativity As Discussed By Several Individuals Of Creative Genius, Mary Jean Campbell

Institute for the Humanities Theses

When the term intuition came into psychological parlance less than a century ago, the argument began over whether intuition could affect creativity, and whether it, in fact, existed at all as part of cognitive process. This paper will begin with a discussion of the meaning of intuition and some of the implications of that term, address the difficulties inherent in relying on self-report for information, and then turn to the statements of several well-known creative individuals about the role of intuition or intuition-related phenomena in their work.

The selection of creative individuals will be limited to those who have attained …

Weighted Application Blanks: An Empirical Approach For The Selection Of Delivery Personnel Psychology, Barton Lee Dahmer

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a biographically weighted application blank for use in selecting delivery personnel. The England (1971) procedure for weighting biographical information was utilized. The criterion was a ratio of planned work time to actual work time. It was hypothesized that (a) significant derivation and cross-validities would be obtained, and (b) significant practical benefits in terms of correct placement of workers in the high and low criterion groups would result. The first hypothesis was partially supported in that a significant derivation validity was obtained (r = -.56, P < .05). However, the cross-validity (r = -.12) was not significant. Thus, the second hypothesis was not supported. A discussion of the results and recommendations for the implementation of the weighted application blank are provided.

Evaluation Of Stress Management Program Participant Outcomes, Kanya Boondharm Sitanggang

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study, conducted by a Health Maintenance Organization in Southern California, evaluated the impact of a stress management program in reducing stress/anxiety, stressors/hassles, and perception of stressors. Impact of the program in reducing negative coping mechanisms and increasing positive coping mechanisms as well as the retention of stress management training over a three month follow-up period was examined.

A quasi-experimental -- non-equivalent control group design was used. The experimental group consisted of 54 clients who registered for stress management classes. The control group consisted of 105 matched subjects selected from a larger group of 212. All subjects were tested prior …

Assessing Critical Thinking Processes In The Gifted: Predicting Gre Analytical Performance From Watson-Glaser Results, Susie Garrott

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the constructs measured by the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and the Graduate Record Examination Analytical Scale in "gifted" adolescents 15 to 17 years of age. There were three hypotheses addressed in this study: 1) "gifted" adolescents would be able to think critically as measured by college level norms when measured by the Watson-Glaser and the GRE-Analytical; 2) significant differences would exist between different levels of gifted populations; and 3) a factor or group of factors of the Watson-Glaser subscales would significantly predict performance on the GRE-Analytical Scale.

The Watson-Glaser …

Children's Anxiety Management Program (C.A.M.P.): A Year Long Study Of A Preventive Stress & Anxiety Program For Children, Karen Witty

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Children's Anxiety Management Program (C.A.M.P.) was designed as a preventive program to be carried out over an academic year with fifth and sixth grade children. The program was designed to help teach the children different methods of coping with stress and anxiety. It was written in a curriculum format allowing for integration into a daily classroom routine. Eighty-seven children were pretested and posttested with the Children's School Questionnaire (CSQ) which measured these factors: School Anxiety, Defensiveness, and Self-Disparagement. The CSQ along with student and teacher kept logbooks aided in the final evaluation of C.A.M.P.. The statistical evaluation of the …

The Use Of Job Aids As An Alternative To Training New Employees, William D. Powers

Masters Theses

Lack of knowledge required to perform a job, has often been dealt with by implementing some sort of training program. However, some businesses cannot afford to implement training. This study tested the effectiveness of using job aides as an alternative to training two new employees at a small business which had no training program. Step-by-step instructional aids were developed for rebuilding Series 40 MT Delco starters and Series 10 SI Delco alternators. A multiple-base-line between subjects design, with an ABABAB reversal, was used.

The data showed the average time required by the new employees to rebuild Series 40 MT Delco …

The Self-Concept Of Pregnant And Nonpregnant Adolescents And Changes That Occur Between Trimesters, Linda Aileen Furlani

Master's Theses

Twenty-two nonpregnant adolescents and 14 pregnant adolescents selected from Chesterfield Health Department's clinic population participated in a study to determine if the self-concept of a nonpregnant adolescent is higher than that of a pregnant adolescent. Each group was further subdivided into a middle adolescent and a late adolescent category to determine if there is any difference in the self-concept of a pregnant adolescent in the middle adolescent stage versus that of a pregnant adolescent in the late adolescent stage. Coopersmith's Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI), School Form, was administered to test the subject's perception of herself and to measure evaluative attitudes toward …

Applied Undergraduate Training In Psychology And Career Choice, Nancy S. Hinga-Wright

Masters Theses

The present investigation evaluated the relation between additional undergraduate practical training in psychology (other than standard course credit) and the graduate school or career choice of graduates with a bachelor's degree in psychology. Based on data from questionnaires and university student records, the results indicated a positive, significant relation between graduate school choice and subsequent career choice, although there was no significant relation between additional applied training and career choice. The results also showed no significant relation between grade point average and career choice, and sex and career choice. The conclusions suggested several outside variables that may influence students' decisions …

The Effect Of Word Abbreviation On Decoding Speed And Accuracy, Frances Piccione

Masters Theses

An experiment was conducted to verify the existence and determine the magnitude of the human response latency differential between words and their abbreviations in a decoding task. Forty-eight Naval Officer Candidates learned a set of abbreviations obtained from operational aircraft cockpits. Abbreviations and corresponding words were divided into easy and hard difficulty levels. Subjects responded by saying the correct whole-word for both stimulus types. Response times measured by a voice key revealed a mean of 0.534 seconds for words and 0.662 seconds for abbreviations. An analysis of variance produced significant main effects (p < .05) for stimulus types and difficulty levels; the interaction effect was not significant. Also, t-tests for correlated scores revealed significant differences (p < .05) between difficulty levels within stimulus types.

Effect Of Fixed-Ratio Size On Response-Latencies Produced By Other Variables, Albert Edward Neal

Masters Theses

Using a discrete-trial, two-component multiple schedule, pigeons were required to complete a fixed-ratio in the presence of stimuli correlated with different probabilities of reinforcement (Experiment 1), or different amounts of reinforcement (Experiment 2). The amount of separation of graphed median latencies to the onset of the two stimulus conditions as a function of the different reinforcement conditions was investigated in relation to various fixed-ratio values. It was found that previous researchers had chosen an optimal fixedratio size; larger ratios produced greater separation between median latencies, but at the expense of increased session-to-session variability, while smaller ratios failed to produce median …

The Effects Of Teacher Directed Small Group Instruction On Quality And Control Of Behavioral Contracts In A Large Study Section Of High School Students, Laurie A. Thompson-Montgomery

Masters Theses

Individualized education has been described as the ideal teaching methodology. The purpose of the present study was to individualize teaching procedure through the use of behavioral contracts in a high school guided study class. The goal of the teacher-directed, small group instruction was to teach students the components of a specific contract task. Following this instruction, all students' contracts improved in the percent meeting content criteria. In addition to improvement in contract content, student on-task behavior also increased. Further, the number of student assignments completed on contract which were received by teachers increased after training. It appears that the use …

The Effects Of Reward And Reinforcement On Intrinsic Interest, Alyce Muzette Dickinson

Dissertations

Under certain circumstances, rewarding individuals for performing a task that they enjoy may decrease their subsequent interest in that activity when rewards are no longer available. Decreased task interest is not, however, an inevitable outcome of reward and the subsequent termination of reward. This study investigated one variable that may influence whether task interest will increase or decrease following reward termination: the degree to which the reward is reinforcing. The study also examined how long post-reward performance changes persisted when they occurred.

A multiple-trial, within-subject comparison design was employed in which three reward phases were alternated with post-reward phases. Two …

Validation And Validity Generalization Of Placement Exercises Used In The Selection Of Clerical Employees, Keith Edward Mitchell

Masters Theses

A follow-up study was conducted to determine the predictive validity of a group of job-related Placement Exercises used in the selection of clerical employees for a northeastern utility company. The present study was also to determine if the obtained validities could be generalized to similar organizational settings.

The subjects included in this study were 98 clerical employees working in the job classifications of Junior Clerk, Clerk, Intermediate Clerk, and Secretary-Stenographer. The obtained results supported the hypothesis that a positive and significant relationship existed between performance on the Placement Exercises and supervisory ratings of employee job performance. After applying the results …

Cerebral Hemispheric Mechanisms In The Retrieval Of Ambiguous Word Meanings, Roland Curt Burgess

Student Work

Targets related to ambiguous primes were projected to the left and right visual fields in a lexical priming experiment with stimulus onset asynchronies (SOA) of 35ms and 750ms. Left hemisphere results were similar to earlier results with central projection (Simpson & Burgess, JEP:HPP, 1985). Facilitation across both SOAs for the more frequent meaning and a decrease in facilitation for the less frequent meaning at the longer SOA. In contrast, right hemisphere results indicated a decay of facilitation for the more frequent meaning at the longer SOA, while activation for the subordinate meaning increased. Results suggest that while automatic processing occurs …

Getting Ready To Learn: The Correspondence Between Contingency Awareness And Level Of Piagetian Sensorimotor Development, Patricia Beilby-Smith

Student Work

My purpose in this descriptive study was to view infants' readiness to learn and their performance on a simple discrete task from the perspective of Piaget's theory of infant intelligence. Such a readiness to learn has been described by Watson (1966, 1971, 1972) as contingency awareness. This study attempted to investigate the relationship between assessed Piagetian sensorimotor level and performance on a contingency awareness task. Performance measures included efficiency rate and latency to first hit on a second test session. Infant performance was viewed within the framework of sensorimotor development. From the literature there is evidence of a relationship between …

The Use Of An Incentive System To Increase Worker Performance In A Financial Setting, Steven S. Armstrong

Dissertations

The use of merchandise as a consequence in a performance based incentive system was assessed in a financial setting. Points were earned by each subject based on individual daily performance. These points were collected by each subject and used toward the purchase of merchandise. A multiple baseline across two groups of bank tellers showed substantial increases in worker behavior after the onset of contingent points. Differences between groups existed and an analysis is provided. Follow-up data revealed sustained performance and a cost-benefit analysis demonstrated substantial savings.

The Feature-Value Effect In Children; An Attempt To Replicate And Further Experimentation, Kathleen Wright

Dissertations

In the "feature-value effect" faster acquisition occurs when a distinguishing feature is placed on the correct stimulus (S+) during discrimination training than when the distinguishing feature is placed on the incorrect stimulus (S-). The former is a "feature positive" discrimination task, whereas the latter is a "feature negative" discrimination task. The feature-value effect only occurs when the discrimination involves stimuli that are identical except for one distinguishing feature. The effect has been obtained in a number of nonhuman species as well as in children and adult humans. Experiments 1 and 2 failed to replicate the findings of previous experiments with …

The Effect Of Medicaid Billing On Service To Developmentally Disabled Adults, Kambiz Alavi

Dissertations

This study provides a detailed analysis of the daily service delivery records before and after the introduction of a Medicaid Billing Form at a day-activity center for developmentally disabled adults. The form required therapists to record daily service delivery (in 15-minute units) to Medicaid eligible clients. There were 38 clients, 23 Medicaid and 15 non-Medicaid, and four therapists. The data showed, for three of the four therapists, a clear and large increase in reported service delivery to Medicaid clients and a smaller increase to non-Medicaid clients. Six months after the introduction of the Medicaid Billing Form the therapists were required …