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Program Evaluation Of The Kitchener-Waterloo Diversion Programme, Edward Daniel Dubas

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The research describes the operation of the Kitchener-Waterloo Diversion Program and by using the Gibbon, Lebowitz and Blake (1976) evaluation model the program was evaluated relative to its six objectives. Diversion is defined as any pre-trial, post-charge intervention model which deals with juvenile charges outside the traditional juvenile justice systems (Solicitor General of Canada, 1978).

Data were collected from systematic observations of the diversion meetings, interviews with participants, victims and lawyers regarding their perceptions of diversion, and the examination of police, court and diversion records.

Results indicate that the eligibility criteria were being met and that the intended target population …

Burnout, Job Stress, And Job Satisfaction In Two Public Health Nursing Units, D’Arcy John Helmer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis examines burnout, job stress, and job satisfaction in two public health nurse organizations, located in two different regions. A total of 35 individuals were interviewed, and 31 individuals were surveyed. The major finding was the experience of burnout is a complex experiential synthesis of the constructs job satisfaction, morale, job stress, and self perception. Data suggest intraorganizational processes mediate burnout and the shift from job satisfaction to job dissatisfaction.

Role Of Rating Value Of Words And Displaced Rehearsal In Semantic Rating Tasks, Manju Karmeshu

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Two experiments were carried out to investigate the role of rating task, displaced rehearsal, and the value of words on the retention of items processed at the semantic level. In Experiment I, the subjects rated medium value words for either pleasantness or frequency under free rehearsal conditions. The results revealed no retention differences between words judged for pleasantness and those judged for frequency. In Experiment II, high and low pleasantness and high and low frequency values were factorially combined within a single list of words. In the free rehearsal condition, words were judged on either the pleasantness or frequency rating …

Semantic Priming Effects In Lexical Ambiguity Resolution, Donald R. Maxwell

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The study addresses a number of issues related to the effects of biasing semantic contexts on the processing of words with more than one meaning (homographs). Biasing contexts have been taken to either constrain “lexical access” to a contextually relevant meaning of a homograph (selective access), or to exert a selective effect only after access to all, or some subset of, the meanings of a homograph (multiple access). Recent findings based on the two-factor theory of attention (Posner & Snyder, 1975a) suggest that lexical access occurs in two stages, where the first stage involves automatic activation of all meanings and …

A Cognitive-Behavioral Approach To The Control Of Dream Content, Gary Nick Dean Lehto

Dissertations and Theses

A cognitive-behavioral technique for developing dream control was examined. Twenty paid subjects were randomly assigned to either an attention-placebo control group or a cognitive-behavioral training group. Subjects met in the respective groups for a total of three hours of "training." Subjects in the actual training group were presented with a self-instruction sequence to practice and use in attempting to manipulate dream content. The control group subjects met to only discuss dreams and dreaming and were given no specific instruction in content control. After completion of the training, each subject individually spent two consecutive nights in a sleep laboratory. The first …

An Examination Of The Validity And Reliability Of The Scale Of Children's Attitudes Towards Exceptionality, Michael P. Hagan

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was twofold: first to study systematically the Scale of Children's Attitudes Towards Exceptional i ty, and second to provide descriptive data concerning the attitudes of rural, regular education children to~-Jards the handicapped. The Seale of Children I s .A.tti tud es Towards Except ionali ty (SC.\TE) was administered to 232 children from two rur:11 schools in Sulliva.n County, Indiana. Both males and female,:; in grades t\vO through six we-re included in the study. The SCATE is a test constructed to evaluate the attitudes of regular education children towards handicapped children. It attempts to measure three …

The Effects Of A Transfer Of Stimulus Control Procedure, Probes, And Reinforcement On The Acquisition And Generalization Of An Intraverbal Repertoire, Steven John Braam

Masters Theses

A deaf, mentally-impaired youth was trained to emit intraverbal responses within the same response class to verbal stimuli which were presented in daily probe sessions (e.g., "food" evoked "apple", "bread","hot dog", etc.). Training consisted of a transfer of stimulus control procedure. If an incorrect response was made, the therapist would re-present the verbal training stimulus and immediately present a non-verbal prompt (picture) which evoked a verbal response. Since the transfer procedure was only Implemented contingent upon incorrect responding, it resulted in longer delays to trade-in for back-up reinforcers in sessions where mistakes were made. Correct responding Increased only as training …

Preferences Of Students For The Hutchings "Low Stress" Compared To The Conventional Algorithm Under Conditions Of Differentially Increasing The Number Of Problems With And Without Reinforcement, Pamela G. Buitendorp Drew

Masters Theses

This study was an attempt to determine which computation procedure students would select under varying classroom conditions. It is a systematic replication of previous research by Gillespie (1976). Algorithm preferences of 14 third grade students, 10 high accuracy and four low accuracy on a math facts test, were investigated under conditions of differentially increasing the number of problems with and without reinforcement, Reversal designs were used. The students completed 4X5 array problems and chose which algorithm to use, but after choosing the same algorithm for three consecutive sessions, they were required to use the alternative algorithm the next session. Preference …

Effects Of Withdrawing Diphenylhydantoin (Dilantin) On Matching To Sample Performance In Mentally Retarded Persons, Vicky June Davis

Masters Theses

The present study was designed to examine the effects of gradual DPH withdrawal on the matching to sample performance of three mentally retarded persons. The percentage of correct responses per session served as the dependent variable and the sample and comparison stimuli were red, green, and blue illumination of translucent response windows. The results showed that doses of diphenylhydantoin considerably lower than the suggested optimim therapeutic level can impair the performance of mentally retarded individuals on a simple discrimination task. As doses were reduced for each subject, there were increases in the percentage of correct responding with the highest percentage …

An Analysis Of The Role Of Reinforcement Magnitude In The Transfer Of Stimulus Control In A Receptive Discrimination Task, Beverly S. Adler

Masters Theses

The role of reinforcement magnitude in the transfer of stimulus control was analyzed using a delayed prompting procedure. A delay was gradually lengthened between the presentations of the relevant discriminative stimulus and an imitative prompt. During one condition, the contingencies of reinforcement were arranged such that the reinforcement available for anticipatory and prompt-controlled responses were equal. During another condition, responses which preceded delivery of the prompt were given more reinforcement than prompt-controlled responses. Two subjects were exposed to these conditions in the context of acquiring a series of receptive discrimination tasks. Results were inconclusive. Mean trials to criterion showed little …

The Development And Application Of Service Management By Objectives Within One Program Of One Division Of A Michigan Intermediate School District, James Harper Kaye

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Teaching Self-Protective Behaviors To Preschool Children Using A Videotape Training Program, Paul James Yoder

Masters Theses

This study investigated the effectiveness of a videotape training program to teach self-protective skills to preschool children. Children were taught to say, "I have to ask my teacher/parent," and to run to their teacher/parent when presented with one of two lures commonly used by child molesters. The videotape incorporated the direct instructional techniques of active pupil responding; the model, lead, and test format; and use of minimally different stimuli to teach children to discriminate between correct and incorrect responses. The results showed that although none of the subjects showed any improvement in responding after only one viewing, five of the …

The Effects Of Cumulative Review In An Interspersal Procedure On The Acquisition And Retention Of Sight Words, Kathleen M. Wright

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Development And Validation Of Concept Programmed Materials Based On A Direct Instruction Model, Curt E. Lalonde

Masters Theses

The experiment validated a set of instructional materials designed to teach behavioral concepts. Twenty-two subjects matched on the basis of their scores on a pretest covering these concepts comprised the experimental and control groups. Following a pretest, subjects in these two groups completed both sets of materials. After exposure to the instructional materials, they took an alternate-form posttest on the same concepts. Gain scores on the posttest were significantly higher (p<.05, means = .91, -.55) for subjects who completed the experimental materials than for the subjects who completed the control materials, materials contained sequences of examples and nonexamples of the behavioral concepts which were designed to maximize learned of those concepts.

A Treatment Package To Improve Academic Performance, Lynn Daniel Larrow

Masters Theses

Six high school students volunteered to participate in a research project to improve their academic grades. Of these six subjects, it was found that subjects with low grade point averages (GPA) were the main beneficiaries of a behavior treatment package consisting of contingency contracting, graphing, and a self-management lecture. In addition, this study demonstrated that a contingency contract, employing a weekly consequence, and graphing can control an academic behavior, note taking. Finally, it was shown that a cost effective treatment package could produce GPA increases comparable to more expensive and time consuming treatments. It is hoped that the findings of …

Effect Of Changing Appointment Making Procedures On Increasing The Number Of Initial Appointments Kept At A Family Planning Agency, Carla A. Jones

Masters Theses

The procedures for making initial client appointments at a family planning clinic were manipulated to increase the number of kept appointments. Receptionists and counselors made appointments on the two appointment forms used. Questions on the appointment sheet varied depending on the age of the caller. The 1,432 women participating in the study were placed into three groups (a) 19 years of age and under (b) 20 to 30 years of age and (c) 31 years of age and over. The results showed that the occupation of the person making the appointment at the agency did not affect the number of …

Developing A Verbal Repertoire Using Sign Language And Skinner's Analysis Of Verbal Behavior, Mark L. Sundberg

Dissertations

A series of experiments on the use of sign language with hearing, non-vocal, mentally impaired individuals was conducted. Several researchers have shown that such persons can acquire signs; but in a recent review of the literature (Pulton & Algozzine, 1980), the authors conclude that there was no evidence that a "functional communication system" was acquired and in only one case had manual signing become a primary mode of communication. The problem may be related to the issue that most of the previous work on sign training has been based on traditional programs of language instruction. Such programs often place an …

A Discrete Trial Choice Procedure For Assessing The Periodic Equivalent Of Aperiodic Ratio Schedules, Michael Joseph Boivin

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Criterion Intervals For Pretreatment Drinking Measures In Treatment Evaluation, A. Mitch Cooper, Mark B. Sobell, Stephen A. Maisto, Linda C. Sobell

Faculty Articles

Drinking during a 30-day pretreatment period was found not to be representative of longer pretreatment intervals, especially in a population of seriously impaired inpatient alcoholics

Ethology And Laboratory Animal Welfare, James A. Cohen

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

No abstract provided.

Stress: What Is It And How Can It Be Quantified?, T. H. Friend

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

An animal may be considered to be in a state of stress if abnormal behavior or extreme adjustments in its behavior or physiology are necessary in order to cope with adverse aspects of its environment. Methods used to determine if an animal is stressed can be either behavioral or physiological. Behavioral methods may be highly erroneous due to their subjective nature since alterations in behavior do not necessarily prove that an animal is stressed. There is no single measure of stress that can be used in all situations at this time. Every measure must be critically evaluated to ensure that …

Disidentification And Volitional Activation: New Approaches To The Treatment Of Cigarette Smoking, Paul Donley Lidstrom

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Two previously untested humanistic treatment strategies adopted from Assagioli's psychosynthesis were evaluated for effectiveness in reducing cigarette smoking. Forty subjects were assigned to four treatment conditions arranged in a 0 X 3 (Treatment X Time) repeated measures factorial design. The four treatment groups consisted of a disidentification group, a volitional activation group, a combined treatment group, and a maximally effective placebo controls Smokers were seen in small groups for five 30 minute treatment sessions in the course of a week. All groups showed significant reductions from baseline smoking rates at 1-week and 6-week followups. At 1-week followup, the disidentification group …

Polydipsia's Contribution To The Temporal Discrimination Of Rats In The Development Of Fixed Interval Behavior And As A Function Of Fixed Interval Length, Linda Griffith Cruser

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

A two-phase experiment was undertaken to study the contribution of polydipsia, excessive water drinking, to the temporal discrimination of rats on fixed internal schedules of 60, 120, 180, and 300 seconds. In the first phase of the experiment, the timing accuracy of 12 rats who had access to water was compared to 12 rats who had no water. The rats were trained for 25 sessions on an FI 60-second schedule. In early sessions, before polydipsia was fully developed, no differences emerged between the timing accuracy of the water and no-water groups. As the amount of water drunk by the water …

How Young Children Perceive Their Teachers: A Developmental Study, Mary Meta Lowe

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This is a developmental study of how young children perceive their teachers. The primary aims of the study are: 1) to provide a developmental picture of elementary school children's perceptions of their teachers, and 2) to determine the accuracy of teachers' awareness of the perceptions of the children. Instrumental to these primary aims are two subordinate objectives: 1) to construct a scale of reactions to teacher characteristic behaviors that are understandable for young children and yet meaningful to adults, and 2) to test the utility of the scale for obtaining measures of affect. Within each of two schools, approximately 15 …

Self-Starvation Of Rats In Running Wheels As A Function Of Activity-Food Interval And Food Consistency, Ingrid Kalwas Stephens

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Rats under restricted food schedules are generally capable of maintaining stable body weights by reducing energy output. However, if they are given access to running wheels, they fail to respond with this adaptive strategy. Instead, they show an increase in activity and a paradoxical decrease in caloric intake, leading to the development of stomach ulcers and death. Since food-yoked controls kept in standard cages remain ulcer-free and survive, the formation of stomach lesions appears to be due to the combination of increased energy expenditure and insufficient food intake. The present study attempted to attenuate this self-starvation effect by providing more …

The Relationship Between Attributional Style And Learned Helplessness In Interpersonal Situations, Hedy L. Weinberger

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

An initial investigation was done to assess the relationship between attributional style and learned helplessness in an interpersonal situation. Forty female subjects were given the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ) at the beginning of the semester and were called a month or more later to participate in a dating experiment. The subjects gave attributions for rejection and acceptance for the dating situations as well as their expectations for being accepted by each man. Depressive affect was measured at the beginning of the experiment, after the first rejection and after they were to assume a second rejection or acceptance. The ASQ was …

Utility Of Portable Breath Alcohol Testers For Drunken Driving Offenders, Linda C. Sobell, Robert Vanderspek, Pemmy Saltman

Faculty Articles

Participants in two countermeasures programs for drunken drivers found portable breath alcohol testers useful in making decisions about driving after drinking and said they would continue to use them if they were commercially available.

The Psychological Relations Hip Between Dairy Cows And Dairy Cowmen And Its Implications For Animal Welfare, Martin F. Seabrook

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Stress On Livestock And Meat Quality Prior To And During Slaughter, Temple Grandin

International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems

The effects of stress on cattle, pigs and sheep prior to slaughter are reviewed. Long-term preslaughter stress, such as fighting, cold weather, fasting and transit, which occurs 12 to 48 hours prior to slaughter depletes muscle glycogen, resulting in meat which has a higher pH, darker color, and is drier. Short-term acute stress, such as excitement or fighting immediately prior to slaughter, produced lactic acid from the breakdown of glycogen. This results in meat which has a lower pH, lighter color, reduced water binding capacity, and is possibly tougher. Psychological stressors, such as excitement and fighting, will often have a …

Modeling: A Cognitive Approach In Ameliorating Impulsivity In Hyperactive Children, Ronald T. Brown

Integrated Health Sciences Faculty Research

No abstract provided.