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Self-Imposed Delays Of Reinforcement In Conjunctive Schedules, Daniel M. Mccarthy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This experiment examined the role of delays of reinforcement in producing the response pattern generated by fixed interval (FI) schedules. Conjunctive schedules which required one response and maintained a 100 sec interreinforcement interval were used. These schedules permitted a variable delay of reinforcement to separate the last response in each interval from reinforcement. The maximum delay was specified, however, by specifying the percentage of the interval which must elapse before responses counted toward reinforcement. Maximum delays of 100, 95, 75, 50, 25, 5 and 0 seconds were examined and their effects on response rate, response distribution, and post-reinforcement pause were …

Automation Of The Quantitative Techniques, Karen Karm

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

An Operational Analysis Of The Value Of The Nonoutcome Trial In Children's Discrimination Learning, Thelma A. Giomi

Psychology ETDs

Numerous and divergent interpretations of the value of the blank or nonoutcome trial (N) in combination with reinforcement or punishment have been suggested. In all these interpretations N is considered as a response inferred construct. The present study was conducted to directly test the value of N in differential feedback combinations and to provide a critical evaluation of these various interpretations. The experiment consisted of a two phase study employing two simultaneous discrimination problems. In the first discrimination 90 Ss learned a two choice simultaneous discrimination under one of three feedback conditions, reinforcement following a correct response and punishment following …

A Study Of Early Childhood Recollections As Reflective Or Projective Of Values In Society, Nancy Eskridge

Student Scholarship

This study explores the relationship between early childhood recollections and an individual's value system, drawing primarily from the Individual Psychology of Alfred Adler. The research was conducted to determine if early memories could serve as projective devices to reveal a person's life style and values, defined by Adler as an individual's unique way of striving for goals. The author establishes a theoretical framework by comparing Adler’s belief that memories are active productions reflecting a person's current outlook with Sigmund Freud’s theory of screen memories, which suggests that early recollections often serve to conceal more significant infantile repressions. Ultimately, the author …

Two Emotional Factors And Weight Loss Among Females Attending A Weight Control Class, Karen Lynn Carrigg, Eileen Rae Wangerin

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

A descriptive study was conducted on twenty-four females attending a weight control class to discover the effect of weight loss upon levels of self-esteem and anxiety, as an understanding of the relation of these factors to reduction and control of weight would prove helpful to community health nurses in counseling with overweight and obese persons in the community.

The entire sample was tested for self-esteem (TSCS) and A-State and A-Trait anxiety levels at the initial class of the weight control program sponsored by the Health Education Department of Loma Linda University Medical Center, and again after seven weeks of class …

A Study Correlating Investment With Political, Religious, And Moral Attitudes, Robert K. Docherty

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The study was to determine the correlation between a person's investment in society, as measured by economic factors, and a person's liberal attitudes about that society. The attitude areas used to measure liberal-conservative attitudes were political, religious, and moral.

The hypothesis stated that as investment increased, the scale of liberal attitudes in politics, religion, and morals would decrease. A significant negative correlation would support the hypothesis. A significant positive correlation indicated a reverse of the hypothesis, that is an increase in investment showed an increase in liberal attitudes.

Demographic factors controlled in this study were, sex, age, marital status and …

Short-Term Memory For Auditory Digit Sequences As A Function Of Systematic Manipulation Of Encoding Technique, Digit Duration, And Interdigit Interval, John G. Miscik

Student Work

The experiment tested whether short term retention for auditory digit sequences could be improved by efficient encoding techniques (ET) and increases in either digit duration (DD) or interdigit interval (IDI). All three hypotheses received strong support from the data. In addition, analysis of interactions between length of retention interval (RI) and DD, IDI, and ET led to the conclusions that longer DD and IDI permit increased resistance to forgetting during RI, while efficient ET improves retention regardless of RI.

The Prediction Of Sales Success Among B. F. Goodrich Territory Managers, Richard F. Fail

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The B. F. Goodrich Company spends considerable money selecting and training territory managers. The hiring of territory managers generally rests with local management's "intuition." Since 1967, a substantial percentage of these highly trained salesmen have separated from the company. It was within this attrition context, that an exploratory, objective, selection program was studied.

A multiple discriminant function (multigroup model) was used to analyze three groups of B. F. Goodrich Territory Managers' California Psychology Inventory and Edwards Personal Preference Schedule test scores.

The data revealed that known territory managers' group membership could be significantly predicted. A longitudinal study (one year later) …

The Comparative Effects Of Two Reinforcement Schedules Applied To Groups In Teaching Arithmetic Skills, Ronald C. Bennett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A behavioral approach to teaching in the public school system is difficult because of the inherent difficulty of finding positive reinforcers and administering them simultaneously to large groups of students.

This study attempts to apply the same tangible reinforcers to two groups of students under different schedules of reinforcement. The students in the study were in special classes termed "learning adjustment" classes because of their failure to perform at grade level in regular classroom settings.

One group was on a continuous schedule of reinforcement using tokens and gold strike stamps as reinforcers. The second group was also on a continuous …

A Follow-Up Of Decision Changes From The Act Profile For Freshmen At Usu, Brent M. Hinze

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Decision making and decision changes were studied in late adolescents regarding post-high school choices. A branching questionnaire was constructed and mailed to 1239 late adolescents who during the preceding year had indicated on the American College Test (ACT) that Utah State University (USU) was their first choice for college attendance, but whose names did not appear on the USU Registrar's list of enrolled freshmen, Fall 1969. 62% of the questionnaires were returned. Questions were asked concerning post-high school decision making and decision change:

1. What alternatives to attendance at USU were chosen?
2. Was the alternative chosen college-related or was the change …

Utilization Of Phoneme-Grapheme Relative Frequency Data As An Effective Method Of Developing Reading Materials For Navajo Students, Wesley K. Roberts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis suggests a new method of developing reading materials for Navajo students. The core of this method is based on phoneme- grapheme relative frequency correspondence data.

A short story was phonetically edited and rewritten using the phoneme-grapheme relative frequency method. This short story was one of the major products of the thesis.

This short story and three other short stories previously phonically rewritten, were presented in both this form and in original text to 38 Navajo students for reading.

Reading speed and reading comprehension were measured for each student on the short stories. The students performed with superior reading …

Expressed Group Member Satisfaction And Measured Group Difference Between Trained And Untrained Group Members, Dennis Randall Kilstrom

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In college programs utilizing the quarter system there arise problems in the development of encounter groups due to a limited amount of time available. A short training program in evaluating group processes might be one way to facilitate group development. In order to test one such program two hypotheses were generated. Hypotheses I was tested for a significant difference between a Treatment Group, receiving training, and a Control Group, receiving no training, in expressed member satisfaction. Hypothesis II was tested for a significant difference in the therapeutic value of rated interaction between the Treatment and Control Group. Expressed member satisfaction …

Its Reevaluation And Improvement As Related To A Profile Analysis Classification System, Mark A. Skovron

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Over the first half of the present study the Mini-Mult (MM₁), a brief form of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), was compared with the standard MMPI in relation to eleven criteria classifications. These criteria were composed of the profile analysis classifications of Marks and Seeman (1963). Pearson product-moment correlations between the MM₁ and MMPI failed to reach statistical significance for any of the eleven criteria.

As based on the information gained, a correction factor was devised and added to the MM₁. Subsequently, the second half of the study involved a comparison between the HMPI …

A Reliability Measurement Of The Transactional Analysis Checklist, Robert B. Kahn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of the study was to measure the reliability of a checklist created and standardized for the study. The development of the checklist, referred to in the study as the Transactional Analysis Checklist (TAC), finds its basis in Transactional Analysis theory.

The literature available pertaining to Transactional Analysis was reviewed. No literature, prior to the study, existed which directed itself specifically to the examination of an instrument that could be used during the diagnostic phase of treatment.by .Transactional Analysts. The lack of literature was a partial motivator for the study. It was suggested that informally constructed devices are being …

Rural-Urban Personality Differences In Utah Adolescents As Measured By The Cpi, Benjamin K. Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The CPI (California Psychological Inventory) was administered to 395 high school students to determine if personality differences exist between rural and urban adolescents in Utah. Of those tested, 219 were selected from three rural schools and 176 were selected from three urban schools.

Ten of the eighteen individual scales of the CPI showed differences between rural and urban students at the P < .05 level. Two of the four classes of scales showed differences at the P < .01 level, and the other two classes showed differences significant at the P < .05 level. In each case where significant differences were found, the differences favored the urban students. The results of this study indicate that the urban students in Utah tend to have more positive personality characteristics than the rural students.

College Level Career Counseling, Ain Roost

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was designed to examine and evaluate vocational decision making and counseling at Utah State University and to provide a basis for further research. A written questionnaire was given to a random sample of 500 college students on the Utah State University campus.

It was found that over 15% of freshmen could not express a vocational choice, and of those who could,their commitment to it was weaker than the other classes. Immediate family, friends and college professors were the most influential people in making a career choice, with the influence of college counselors being almost negligible. Other than influential …

Chris Argyris And Organizational Behavior, Richard L. White

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This paper is about organizational behavior and one man's research and ideas about this subject. That man is Chris Argyris.

Chris Argyris has been at Yale University for nearly two decades as a professor of Industrial Administration until recently moving to Harvard. During that period of time he has evolved from a beginning student of the behavioral sciences to a respected scholar and research authority in the field of organizational behavior. His own ideas have changed from a beginning theoretical framework to more established and accepted commentaries on organizational behavior.

The purpose of this paper is to dissect and explain …

The Role Of Imagery In Association Formation And Stimulus Recognition, Boyd C. Tatum

Psychology ETDs

Three experiments were performed in order to investigate the role that imagery plays in association formation and stimulus recognition. It was hypothesized that response terms of high imagery (I) value would produce enhanced recognition of the stimulus term over response terms of Low I value in a paired-associate (PA) task. Experiment I tested this hypothesis using High-I and Low-I response terms which bore a conceptual relationship to the stimulus terms. The stimuli were trigrams and the responses were nouns rated either High I or Low I. The Ss (undergraduate students) were trained under the study trial/test trial method and received …

Personality And Achievement Factors As Influences On Church Attendance Of College Students, Patricia Welch

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

College students, even of the same religious preference, attend church functions with varying degrees o£ frequency. What factors influence the rate of attendance among students? This study investigated the relationship between reported church attendance and personality and achievement variables in a group of college juniors and seniors in a state university in the South. It was hypothesized that there would be no significant differences between students who reported attendance at church functions either (a) 7 or more times per month (High Attenders), (b) 2 through b times per month (Attenders), or (c) 1 or 0 times per month (Low Attenders) …

Internal-External Control Of Reinforcement Versus Field Dependence-Field Independence, Robert Colclough

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Most authors have regarded the concepts of internal-external control and field dependence-field independence as two basically separate dimensions. However, in the area of personality, the two concepts may be related to a considerable degree. A review of the literature suggests that many of the same personality characteristics which can be attributed to internally controlled individuals are also common to field independent people. Also, those characteristics common to externally controlled people are found in field dependent individuals (Cardi, 1962; Franklin, 1963; Crowne & Liverant, 1963; Strickland, 1962; Getter, 1962; Gore, 1962; Elliot, 1961; Witkin, Lewis, Hertzman, Machover, Meissner, & Wapner, 1952*). …

Effects Of Container On Perception Of Product Quality, Wayne O. Miller

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Orderly Versus Random Stimulus Organization As A Parameter Of Problem-Solving Difficulty In A Visual Discrimination Task, Edward S. Itkin

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Teacher Use Of Stimulus Discrimination And Response Cost As Techniques For Reducing Socially Maladaptive Student Behaviors In A Secondary Classroom, Thomas J. Doland

Master's Theses

The present study was designed to evaluate the use of two behavior modification techniques in modifying three inappropriate student behaviors in a secondary classroom. T'he two behavior modification techniques employed were 1) response cost, and 2) the teacher 's use of students' names as discriminative stimuli. The subjects were a D-section Junior English class consisting of fourteen boys and five girls of average intelligence, but who were under­ achieving academically. The contingencies were applied to all students, utilizing a multiple baseline design. In experimental condition I, the teacher informed the class that ten minutes of free time would be available …

Memory Facilitation As A Function Of Category Cues And Stimulus List Construction, Janet Sanford Graves

Master's Theses

The capacity to effectively reorganize material to be recalled is perhaps the most essential element in the complex retention process (Deese, 1958). A known type of reorganizational procedure which was shown to exist by Boufield (1953) in his investigation of the retention of a randomized word list is the grouping or clustering of associated words. The results of his study clearly indicated that upon immediate recall of a randomized list, related items, that is, items belonging to the same category, are listed together in clusters.

Development Of A Fake Scale For Edwards Personal Preference Schedule - A, James Harvey Brammer

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Hippocampal Lesions On Short Term Memory In The Rat, Alfred Collins

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Prior Training On The Acquisition Of Drl Performance, Susan E. Jasin

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Some Personality Traits Between The Criminal Alcoholic And The Noncriminal Alcoholic, Jerry Reimann

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The American Tour Of Dr. Spurzheim, Anthony A. Walsh

Faculty and Staff - Articles & Papers

Visit of Johann Christoph Spurzheim to Boston for public lecture series. Death of Spurzheim in Boston. Disposition of Spurzheim's remains. Contents of Spurheim's estate upon death.

The Effect Of Two Different Scoring Contingencies On Student Exam Performance, Alvin R. Kubat

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.