Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Relaxation Procedures On Test Anxiety & Test Performance, Mary Thompson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purposes of this study were (a) to determine if relaxation procedures, consisting of meditation and cognitive self-statements, were effective in improving test performance and in reducing test anxiety and (b) to investigate the relationship between test anxiety and test performance. Thirty-six students in an undergraduate psychology class were administered a self-report anxiety inventory, the Test Anxiety Scale-Revised (TASC-R). The students were then matched according to test anxiety level and randomly assigned to an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group received 20 minutes of relaxation treatments immediately prior to the third, fourth, and fifth course content exams. …

Predicting Actual Physical Performance With Mental Image Accuracy, Rodney Young

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to tap into and index the motor program that is believed to control human movement, and to use that index in the prediction of future performance on the same task. A total of 75 right-handed undergraduates were tested on the rotor pursuit operating at 45 revolutions-per-minute, subjects were asked to imagine themselves tracking the target with the stylus in their left hand. During the imagery trial or trials, depending on group assignment, the subjects verbalized the word "top" each time their image made one complete revolution. Each subject received an initial 20 sec of …

Eeg And Evoked Potential Measured Of Age And Sex Differences In Central Nervous System Processing, Judith Ann La Marche

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Age and gender differences in CNS information processing were investigated with EEG measures of power spectral analysis and cortical coupling, and evoked potential measures of brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs), visual evoked potentials (VEPs), pattern reversal evoked potentials (PREPs), and P300 evoked potentials. Eighty normal volunteers comprised four subgroups of 20 subjects: young females and young males (25-35 years); old females and old males (55-70 years).

Trends were generally consistent across evoked potential measures: women and young people produced faster latency responses; females and oldsters produced larger amplitude responses. Old age was associated with reduced variability of electrophysiological responding across …

A Follow-Up Study Of The Edith Bowen Gifted Program, Richard Alan Campbell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Former participants of an elementary-level gifted program were followed into junior high to determine the impact of the gifted program on their academic achievement and extracurricular participation. Parent and student perceptions of the gifted program were also determined. Academic achievement was measured by the variables grades in specific academic subjects, grade point averages, and achievement test scores. Extracurricular participation patterns were determined by response to a questionnaire on extracurricular activities. Intellectually-gifted former participants were compared on academic achievement and extracurricular participation to a comparable group of students who did not participate in any gifted program. No significant differences were found …

The Effects Of A Commons Simulation And Fines On A Generalization Test, William Boyle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study investigated the effect of a commons simulation and fines on a generalization test that incorporated several features important in the real world. Two hundred and seventy-five volunteer college students in groups of seven participated in this study. Approximately one-half received exposure to the commons simulation and one-half did not. One-half of the groups in each treatment level received two posttests with a fine option available and the other one-half received two posttests without this option. The two posttests differed in that one was played with a large unknown referent group and the other was played with the …

Adolescent Identity Status In Current Familial Relationships During Separation, Eugene E. Campbell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

College students were assessed as to ego identity status and perceptions of their relationships with parents during their first year away from home. Each parent was also asked to rate the relationship. There was general agreement between parents and adolescents although the data indicate that mothers and adolescents share a more similar view of their relationship than did the fathers and adolescents.

The hypothesis that females would report more affection and communication with their parents than would males was partially supported. Daughters were more communicative with their mothers and were more affectionate toward both parents than were sons.

Several proposed …

Parent-Child Interaction Variables Related To The Moral Reasoning Of High School Senior Males, Bruce R. Johns

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship of parent-child interaction variables to moral reasoning and to identify those variables that best predict moral reasoning.

Subjects were 51 high school senior males and their parents from intact families. Parents and sons completed separate questionnaires designed to measure the following variables: moral reasoning, induction, power-assertion, love-withdrawal, authoritarian attitudes, intrusiveness, support, communication, socio-economic status and academic achievement. The instruments used to measure these variables were the Defining Issues Test, Parent-Child Relationship II Questionnaire, Child-Rearing Questionnaire, Child-Rearing Practices Report, Traditional Family Ideology Scale, the Two Factor …

A Study Of Loneliness And Health Related Complaints In Residents Of High Rise Apartment Buildings For The Elderly, Susan H. Jones

Ellmer School of Nursing Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore feelings of loneliness among relocated elderly residents of age-segregated, high-rise apartment buildings and any relationship between these subjective feelings of loneliness and certain variables which were hypothesized as predictors of feelings of loneliness. The variables studied in relation to loneliness were cathectic investment, activity, and perceptions of health. A non-experimental survey design where data were collected by interviewing subjects was used. The sample consisted of 18 female residents of a high-rise apartment building for the elderly. Each was interviewed using the Loneliness Rating Scale developed by Dr. Gloria M. Francis and a …

Plasma Catecholamine And Ascorbic Acid Levels In Smokers And Nonsmokers As A Function Of Stress, Audrey A. Wickiser

Student Work

Research on the relationship between the role of stress and blood catecholamine levels began in the early 60's. Studies since that time have shown that both physical and psychological stressors can cause an increase in the circulating levels of catecholamines. Epinephrine and norepinephrine are the catecholamines most implicated as being affected by stress. The results have not been clear as to whether the two catecholamines respond differentially to physical and psychological stress. Epinephrine secretion appears to increase in response to anxiety while norepinephrine may be related to aggression.

Acceptability Of Treatment: The Effects Of Socioeconomic Status And Intellectual Level On Teachers' Ratings Of Interventions, Kathryn L. Welch

Student Work

The study examined the effects of a child's socioeconomic status and intellectual level on classroom teachers' ratings of positive and negative interventions. Ninety urban kindergarten through sixth grade classroom teachers participated in the study. The teachers varied according to age, sex, race, number of years taught, and years of experience with low socioeconomic children, as well as grade level currently teaching. A vignette was constructed varying the socioeconomic status and intellectual level of an elementary school age boy who was displaying inattention during instructional time. The inattention (token economy) paired with it. The teacher were asked to read one of …

Social Play Behavior, Marc Bekoff

Ethology Collection

Recent studies clearly indicate that animal play is an important behavioral phenotype, and that detailed analyses of the phenomenon are useful for furthering our understanding of the evolution of social behavior and the interaction of phylogeny, ecology, and behavioral development. This article is concerned mainly with evolutionary, ecological, and developmental aspects of social play behavior in mammals.

Social Skills In Vivo: An Experimental And Theoretical Analysis, Stephen Earl Eversole

Masters Theses

A multiple baseline across behaviors was employed to demonstrate generalization effects across settings. A 14 year old shy female was presented with social skills treatment package to increase the rate of eye contacts, verbalizations and smile sin vivo. One of the intervention phases included role-playing of social situations with a peer. A second phase required the occurrence of desired responding while playing foosball-- the same activity which took place in vivo during generality data collection. A third intervention required interaction assignments to be completed in vivo. Results indicate inconclusive evidence of an increase due to the treatment package. A general …

Psychological Needs Of The Elderly : Community, Religious Affiliated Institutions, And Public Institutions, Sharon Bonaventura

Master's Theses

Although research has shown that psychological needs change as a person ages, available data on the relationship of psychological needs and types of residential institutions for the elderly are limited. The purpose of this study was to explore the possible connection between a particular residential environment and the elderly's psychological needs. Forty-five elderly females ages 62 through 89, participated in this study. Subjects were chosen from one of three residential groups, community, religious affiliated institutions, and public institutions. All subjects were asked to complete the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule. In addition, demographic data were collected on each subject. Results from …

The Oral Self-Administration Of Nicotine In Two Groups Of Rats, Jay D. Hansor

Masters Theses

Six, adult male, Spraque-Dawley rats served as subjects in this experiment which examined whether they would self-administer a 32 microgram per milliliter or a 64- microgram per milliliter (32 ug/ml and 64 ug/ml) nicotine tartrate solution when presented concurrently with distilled water. Subjects in Group I had access to a 32 ug/ml nicotine solution and Group II subjects had access to a 64 ug/ml nicotine solution during both phases. During Phase II an "AB" reversal was implemented to ascertain whether the subjects had a side preference or if they preferred to injest nicotine. It was found that each subject in …

The Effects Of Quantitative Information Content On Selection Strategies In A Complex Concept Formation Design, Tony B. Croke

Masters Theses

Thirty adult undergraduates and graduate students were placed in one of three quantitative information content groups. The Ss received either High, Medium or Low Information Content (IC) in a concept formation paradigm designed to study the types of problem solving strategies used by Ss under varying amounts of information content. High IC Ss produced the optimal strategy— focusing— sooner and more often than Medium or Low IC Ss. Medium IC Ss did better than low IC Ss. High IC Ss increased their use of focusing over trials, while Medium and Low IC Ss only used focusing intermittently. Medium and Low …

The Training Of A Few Response Forms Under Multiple Controlling Variables, Mary-Ann Wiermanski

Masters Theses

This study investigated the acquisition of a few response forms under different controlling variables using both a topography based language (TB) (i.e., signing) and a stimulus selection based language (SSB) (i.e., touching symbols) with three language deficient developmentally disabled individuals. The subjects were taught to name, to ask for, and to touch keys that opened boxes that contained some form of reinforcement. Most of the keys' names were trained across more than one set of controlling variables per session. Before training began for a given key under a new condition, a transfer test was conducted, investigating the possibility of stimulus …

A Program To Teach Multiple Verbal Relations Involving A Small Number Of Response Forms, Kimberly Lou Richter

Masters Theses

As a consequence of reviewing the results of non-behavioral and behavioral approaches to language training for the language deficient, further development of an alternative approach seemed warranted. This study attempted to develop a procedure for training a functional verbal repertoire involving a new language system which consisted of originally meaningless words and symbols. Young "normal" children participated as a first step in developing this procedure. Two preschoolers were taught a few verbal responses, each controlled by several different variables. A new verbal response was then taught under the control of a few variables. Transfer of the new verbal responses under …

Feature-Value Effect, Nedra N. Zerbel

Masters Theses

Feature-value effect concerns the asymmetry obtained in the discrimination learning of pigeons and young children, based on the presence (feature-positive) versus the absence (feature-negative) of a single distinctive feature. Subjects master the discrimination problem when the distinctive feature appears on the positively-reinforced (S+) display but not necessarily when the distinctive feature appears on the non-reinforced (S-) display. This thesis replicates and examines the first (three) extensions of traditionally experimental research to human preschool populations. Six 3-5 year old children attending the Child Development Center preschool served as subjects in the experiment. The feature-positive discrimination training conditions consisted of the presentation …

The Psychological Aspects Of Loneliness Experienced By College Students, Jerie Kull Wood

Dissertations

Loneliness is a common problem that occurs at various life stages, but is most intense for college students. To clarify and operationalize the concepts of loneliness, several current sociological and psychological approaches to loneliness were critically examined.

The major purposes of this study were to identify the lonely among the student population, the types of loneliness they experience, the behavioral manifestations of that loneliness, and the effectiveness of an intervention method. The Belcher Extended Loneliness Scale as administered to 126 students in a pretest and 203 students in a posttest. The students also answered questions about grade point average and …

Effects Of Anticonvulsant Drugs On Learning And Memory, Mitchell Jon Picker

Dissertations

The effects of phenobarbital, clonazepam, valproic acid, phenytoin, and ethosuximide were examined in pigeons performing under repeated acquisition of response chains and delayed matching-to-sample procedures. In experiment I, clonazepam, valproic acid, ethosuximide, and phenytoin produced generally dose-dependent increases in rate of responding, while phenobarbital had little consistent effect on response rate across the dose range studied. Phenobarbital and clonazepam produced dose-dependent increases in error rates (i.e., learning impairment). Although valproic acid and phenytoin generally increased error rates relative to control values, this effect was not directly dose-dependent or consistent across subjects. In contrast to the other anticonvulsants examined, ethosuximide had …

Department Of Psychology Course Schedule For The Master's Program Spring Session 1984, Nova University

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

No abstract provided.

Book Review Forum On Derek Freeman's Margaret Mead And Samoa: The Making And Unmaking Of An Anthropological Myth, Fay Ala‘Ilima, Tuaopepe Felix S. Wendt, Nancy Mcdowell

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Interview Training For College Students: A Behavioral Approach Versus A Self-Help Approach, Toni Yvette Woolfork

Masters Theses

This study was designed to train college students to interview effectively for a job. Ten upper-level students were randomly assigned to an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group participated in a 16-hour training program consisting of modeling coaching, behavior rehearsal, peer and trainer feedback and instructional training. The techniques were used to train students to interview effectively, using the appropriate verbal behavior and nonverbal behavior. The control group's training consisted of a videotape and reading materials. There were significant differences between groups on the verbal behavior, but not on the nonverbal behaviors.

Facilitating And Hindering Factors In Implementing Managerial Technology: A Socio-Technical System Process, Eduardo Alejandro Salas Garcia

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

In recent years scientists, researchers and practitioners have focused on the application and theory of managerial technologies in developing countries. Evidence suggests that the implementation of these technologies is widely sought in these countries, but that they suffer from several limitations. Among these are: (a) lack of environmental compatibility in the societies and cultures in which attempts are made to apply such organizational theories and practices; (b) differences between economic systems of developing nations and industrialized nations (c) differences in political history, values and practices and (d) differences in organizational functioning and behavior as a result of these three conditions. …

Effects Of Encoding Variety And Concurrent-Task Practice On The Transfer And Retention Of Complex Skill, Peter S. Winne

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study investigated the effects of dual-task practice and the variety of problems solved during practice on (a) the acquisition of procedural and declarative skills and the development of concurrent-task skills, and (b) the utilization and maintenance of two types of strategies. Strategies were defined as the use of different mixes of skills pertaining to procedures and specific declarative solutions. Two tasks--mental arithmetic and trigrams--were used to examine problem-solving skills and strategies both immediately following practice and again under delayed conditions. Eighty subjects were randomly assigned to one of four practice conditions by factorially combining practice mode (single- or …

Conditioned Motor Activity And Place-Preference Responses As A Function Of D-Amphetamine Dose Level, Dwight D. Hart

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Spontaneous motor activity (SMA) responses to stimuli predicting d-amphetamine injection were investigated in a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm. Three groups (saline, 1.0mg/kg and 4.0mg/kg doses) of rats underwent a 12-day period during which Injection-Conditioning and Non-Injection Conditioning treatments were alternated. This sequence was then followed by two Test/Extinction Days on which all three groups received saline injections. Subjects in the 4.0mg/kg, but not the 1.0mg/kg group were more active during the 30 minute pre-injection period on the second Conditioning Day than were Saline Group subjects. Test Day post-injection SMA levels of the two Drugged Groups were not significantly different, but the …

The Effects Of Person-Job Environment Congruency On Individual And Organizational Outcomes, Eileen J. Mcdonald

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to ascertain the effects of person-job environment congruency on outcomes important to individuals and organizations, so that new personnel decision making strategies can be developed. To accomplish these aims, the research had two objectives: (1) to develop an operational model of person-job environment congruency based on an integration of available research evidence and (2) to investigate the effectiveness of the concepts and methods proposed by the model on individual and organizational criteria of success.

Within a person-job environment congruency model framework, there are essentially two matching systems. In the first, the work experiences of …

Bad Samaritanism, C. Everett Koop Md, Peggy Reeves Sanday, Ann Wolbert Burgess, Larry B. Silver Md, James K. Stewart, Morton Bard, Charles Korte, R. Lance Shotland, Margaret T. Gordon

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Perception Of The Ames Distorted Room As A Function Of Active Vs. Passive Training, Antoinette B. Dyer

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the School of Education Morehead at State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Psychology by Antoinette B. Dyer in March of 1984.

Developmental Sentence Scoring: A Comparative Study Conducted In Portland, Oregon, Kathryn Marie Mccluskey

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to replicate the study conducted by Lee and Canter (1971) and Lee (1974a) to determine if a significant difference among the scores in the two studies existed due to geographical location, and to initiate the establishment of norms for the Portland, Oregon geographical area. Forty children, selected on the basis of chronological age (4.0 to 4.11 years), normal receptive vocabulary skills, normal hearing, and a monolingual background, participated as subjects. A language sample of fifty utterances was elicited from each child and analyzed according to the Developmental Sentence Scoring (DSS) procedure.