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Computer Anxiety And Attitudes Of Urban Teacher Education Students, Alfred P. Rovai

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This three-part study used quasi-experimental methodologies to: (a) determine how a computer literacy course affects the computer anxiety and computer attitudes of urban teacher education students over time, (b) explain and predict urban teacher education students who are resistant to reduction of computer anxiety, and (c) determine whether a humanistically-focused treatment is more effective than a traditional cognitively-focused treatment in reducing computer anxiety and improving computer attitudes.

For the first part of this study 75 subjects were measured over three observations using a 13-week interval. The treatment, a mandatory computer literacy course for teacher education students, was conducted between the …

When The "Blues" Come To Call: Police Officers' Attitudes Toward And Responses To Domestic Violence, Christine Reneé Crossland

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

As a result of the growing popularity of arrest in domestic assault cases, many studies have focused on the relationship between police arrest policies and incidence rates of domestic violence. However, few actually assess direct input from police officers concerning their attitudes and perceptions of these policies, or how they feel about dealing with domestic violence. Since police officers are the first point at which domestic disputes are brought to the public's attention, the information provided by police officers concerning domestic violence can provide essential knowledge which could impact future policies and training on domestic violence. This study addresses the …

The Relationship Of Autonomy Sociotropy And Depression To The Recall Of Autobiographical Memories, Jennifer Sue Cheavens

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Past research in the area of dysphoria and depression has examined two personality constructs known as autonomy and sociotropy. These personality constructs have been studied as predispositions to dysphoria and depression. The current study focused on the ability of Autonomy and Sociotropy, measured by the Personal Style Inventory (PSI), to predict both participants' and raters' autonomous and sociotropic ratings of autobiographical life events. The study also examined the differences in classifications of events as either sociotropic or autonomous when the classifications were made by both participants and objective raters. Participants were 72 female and 43 male undergraduate students enrolled in …

Effects Of Goal Reward And Feedback Frequency On Motivation: A Control Theory Perspective, Jonathan Michael Balcerek

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The current study investigated the effects of feedback frequency and goal reward on subject motivation. Klein's (1989) control theory model of work motivation was used to conceptualize the method and hypothesis. Subjects performed a simple computer addition task. When we examined subjects who displayed medium to high mathematical ability, significant effects were discovered. Higher goal reward led to higher motivation. In addition, subjects with a low goal reward and high amounts of feedback displayed lower motivation than subjects with a high goal reward and high amounts of feedback and subjects with a high goal reward and low amounts of feedback. …

The Effects Of Feedback Seeking Performance And Tenure On Perceived Organizational Commitment Self-Promotion Attributions And Allocation Of Organizational Rewards, Bryan C. Hayes

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Few studies have addressed the performance feedback seeking process from the perspective of the source of the feedback. Investigators generally focus on the behavior of the feedback seeker, either ignoring or only speculating about reactions by the target of the feedback request. The objective of this study was to empirically investigate the target's reaction to requests for performance feedback. Extensive efforts have been made to demonstrate that people often constrain their feedback seeking behavior because of perceived risks, however, research has not examined to what extent the perceived costs are real. A hypothetical scenario was used to elicit reactions to …

Comparison Of Curriculum Content On Behavioral Strategies For Managing Anxious Clients In Associate And Baccalaureate Degree Dental Hygiene Programs In The United States, Darnyl Marie King

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

Dental anxiety, a pervasive problem in the general population, is an important client management concern for dental hygienists. This study sought to determine the type and amount of instruction in United States dental hygiene programs in terms of behavioral strategies for the management of anxious clients, the difference in instruction between associate and baccalaureate degree dental hygiene programs, and the opinions of dental hygiene educators regarding these strategies. A self-designed, 19-item questionnaire entitled the King Behavioral Management Questionnaire was used to obtain data on a sample of 210 accredited dental hygiene programs. Part one of the questionnaire consisted of questions …

Pounding Seas Against The Shore Wife Battering In The U.S. Navy And Its Relationship To Duty Assignment, Peter James Mercier Iii

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the severity of wife battering in the U. S. Navy and to determine if duty assignment has an impact on its occurrence. Although considerable research on wife battering has been conducted in the general population over the past 25 years, limited research has focused its attention on wife battering in the military; there has been virtually no research conducted in the Navy. The present research utilizes Norfolk, Virginia Naval Base Police data on domestic disturbance calls at five Navy housing complexes, as well as ship deployment schedules, and compares the incidence of …

The Role Of Event Asynchrony And Attentional Deficits On Task-Unrelated Thoughts In Vigilance: Implications For Workload And Boredom Proneness, Steven Michael Springer

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the impact of event asynchrony, task-unrelated thoughts, attentional deficits, and boredom proneness on vigilance performance. Each subject participated in two sessions, one with asynchronous background events and one with temporally regular background events. Subjects were assigned to three groups: (a) those diagnosed as possessing attention deficit disorder (ADD) during childhood, (b) those with a high potential of having attention deficit disorder during childhood, and (c) those with a low potential of possessing attention deficit disorder during childhood. Subjects were required to indicate their spontaneous and deliberate task-unrelated thoughts (TUTs) during each vigilance session. Boredom proneness was …

Exploring Knowledge Processes For Technology Assimilation, Rochelle K. Young

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In the emerging knowledge society, the ability to make the experience and expertise of those involved in and affected by new technology unconditionally available to all members of an organization is becoming increasingly important. One of the problems in developing such knowledge processes for technology assimilation is that current social structures do not easily accommodate unconditional participation. Since the implementation of modern information technology is changing the workplace and the nature of work itself, alternative social structures are needed. This research takes as given that deep questions concerning knowledge processes and social transformation are in principle undecidable; and, only questions …

The Noaa Corps -- A Participant Action Research Of A Uniformed Service Facing Termination, Richard Eugene Marriner Ii

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The NOAA Corps is a uniformed service of the Federal Government. It is composed of officers commissioned by the President of the United States as are the officers of the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy, and Public Health Service. "NOAA" is the acronym for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce.

On January 24, 1996 the Clinton administration formally proposed that the NOAA Corps be terminated on October 1, 1996. If this were to become reality it would be the first time in U.S. History that a uniformed service has been …

Work Interference With Family (W→F) And Family Interference With Work (F→W): Antecedents And Mediators, Karyn Hofler

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study was designed to assess the antecedents of two forms of work-family conflict (WFC). The separation of two types of WFC is represented by work interference with family (W→F) and family interference with work (F→W). Several variables were hypothesized to be directly and indirectly related to the two forms of work-family conflict. Because of the individualistic nature of WFC. the participants for the present study were all female. LISREL VIII was used to test the proposed model and to develop an alternative model. Job stress was found to be directly and indirectly related to W→F. Family stress was …

Task Interdependence And Teamwork Processes, Kristin Krahl

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

In today's continually expanding and global marketplace, organizations are increasingly relying on teams. The tasks that are performed by these teams are requiring greater interdependency among members as technology becomes more complex. Therefore, there is a need for a valid measure to study the task interdependence among team members. This study developed a measure of task interdependence and provided evidence for the construct validity of the measure using LISREL (Joreskog & Sorbom, 1993). In particular, the task interdependence measure was shown to be distinct from teamwork measures developed in previous research (Rosenstein, 1994). A structural model of relationships among teamwork …

Grading Teaching: An Evaluation Of Teaching Techniques Used By California Community College Introduction To Sociology Instructors, Lynette Ann Osborne-Estes

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Research on teaching techniques used in higher education report that instructors who use a mixed repertoire of styles promote optimal student learning. However, previous research also indicates that many college professors continue to use the less effective traditional lecture instead of implementing more student-centered methods of instruction. This thesis investigates two general research questions. (1) To what extent do community college instructors utilize teaching techniques that have been shown to promote optimal student learning? (2) What factors, if any, increase the probability of an instructor using the teaching techniques that promote optimal student learning? In order to address these questions …

Development Of The Inventory Of Life Span Events, Julie A. Dickison

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The possible relationship between stressful life events and subsequent illness has been studied in the past few decades, resulting in several widely-used questionnaires. However, these measures tend to focus on recent events and attempt to remove subjective rating of a stressful event by the respondent. These two factors may limit these scales clinical utility. An alternative measure, the Inventory of Life Span Events (ILSE) is proposed, to quantify the life-stress burden for childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and across the entire life span. ILSE was compared to other leading measures for life events, hassles and perceived stress, and was more closely related …

Neuropsychological Assessment Of Battered Women, Mona Matheney Tiernan

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effect of physical battering on the neuropsychological functioning of women. Twenty-five battered women and twenty-five non-battered women were administered a neuropsychological screening battery (11 separate tests, yielding 16 variables) to assess for possible deficits in the areas of attention/concentration, memory, visual-perceptual skills, sensory-motor skills, novel problem solving, and verbal fluency. All participants completed a demographic questionnaire, a post-concussive syndrome checklist, and a questionnaire evaluating for the presence of depressed mood and possible effects of depression. Potential participants with a history of previous head injury (occurring from a source other than battering) or other neurological disorders were …

Psychological Outcomes Of Religiosity In The Elderly, Deanna R. Hogge

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Three components of religiosity- organizational religious involvement, nonorganizational religious involvement, and subjective religiosity- were examined for effects on wellbeing, depression, and coping in an elderly sample. A multiple regression analysis, in which demographic variables were controlled for, did not result in any significant findings. The lack of statistically significant findings conflict with a large body of research on religion and psychosocial and health outcomes. The current findings suggest that while traditional religious involvement may be beneficial to those who participate, this involvement does not account for significantly increased well-being, better coping, and less depression for the individuals of this elderly …

Toward Understanding Team Leadership: The Empirical Development Of A Team Leadership Classification System, Brian J. Ruggeberg

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop a classification system of team leadership through the empirical process of numerical classification. Although the value and importance of leadership have been recognized in the team literature, few empirical studies have been conducted to understand the phenomenon of team leadership. A thorough review of the relevant literature was conducted to identify the various behaviors, functions, traits, and KSAOs associated with team leadership. This information was then used to select and construct data collection instruments for the classification process.

Two separate studies were conducted to achieve the overall goal of developing a team …

The Effect Of An Integrated Library Computer System On Job Characteristics In Public Libraries, Richard J. Harris

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

This study investigated the effects of computerization with an integrated library system (ILS) on job characteristics in public libraries.

Two different but complementary research design components were used. One component consisted of a case study of the Norfolk (Virginia) Public Library, where an ILS was implemented between 1988 and 1995. The case study relied on data from interviews, archival sources, and questionnaires. The other component was a mail survey of public library workers across Virginia.

Case study interview data was analyzed by coding. Time series analysis was used to examine trends in budget and staffing. Pattern matching logic was used …

The Emperor Julian (A.D. 331-363): His Life And His Neoplatonic Philosophy, Anthony W. Nattania

Institute for the Humanities Theses

The Neoplatonism of the Emperor Julian (A.D. 331-363) is critically compared to the Neoplatonism of Plotinus (A.D. 205-270). This is done by analyzing their concepts of First Principles, Fate and Destiny, Existence of the Divine Being, the Human Soul, Matter, Time and Eternity, the Contemplation of "The One," and "The One" itself. Julian's psychology is analyzed in light of his Neoplatonism, Mithrasism, and tragic life history. The historical aspects of the attempted pagan reformation during the reign of Julian (A.D. 360-363) is assessed for its historical effects on the Later Roman Empire and its successive generations, while the history of …

The Cultural Adaptability Of Dental Hygiene, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Nursing And Physical Therapy Faculty, Irene Mary Connolly

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the cultural adaptability of full time faculty in the College of Health Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia. The sample consisted of 40 health science faculty representing dental hygiene, medical laboratory sciences, nursing and physical therapy. The principal investigator personally administered the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI), a 50 item instrument, which contains questions to measure the construct cultural adaptability and its four dimensions: emotional resilience, flexibility/openness, perceptual acuity and personal autonomy. The CCAI is not targeted to one particular culture, but rather is designed to be culture general.

Analysis of …

An Exploratory Study Of Gender And The Process Of Negotiating Academic Contracts Among Sociologists, Miriam M. Newton

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Ample evidence supports the existence of the gender wage gap. One explanation for the gender wage gap in academia may be men's and women's different experiences of the process of negotiating academic contracts. Past literature on gender differences in negotiation suggests that males are more likely to initiate negotiations and are more successful in negotiations than women. This study investigates the process of negotiating academic contracts through a survey of recent PhD graduates in sociology. The research is guided by two questions: (1) What are the experiences of new faculty regarding the process of negotiating academic contracts; and (2) What …

Correlates Of The Mmpi-A Immaturity (Imm) Scale In An Adolescent Psychiatric Population, Eric Albert Imhof

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Despite numerous theories of adolescent ego development, there is no objective measure of ego development or maturation targeted for the assessment of adolescents. The Immaturity (IMM) Scale developed for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Adolescent (MMPI-A) was designed to fill this void in adolescent assessment. The present study examined the concurrent validity of the IMM Scale based on sixty-six adolescents (13-18 years old) in an inpatient setting using four prominent measures of maturity, i.e., The Defining Issues Test (DIT), the Washington University Sentence Completion Test (WUSCT), the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status - Second Revision (EOM-EIS-2), and …

Animal-Word And Sound Test: An Auditory Cognitive Interference Effect, Jason L. Parker

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study presented a method in which the Stroop Color Word Test can be adapted to an auditory form. This auditory test used a series of animal words, animal sounds and word-sound combinations. This "Animal-Word-and-Sound test" contained three subtests. The test tasks were to repeat a list of words, identify a list of animal sounds, and to identify the sound in a combined animal word-sound pairings (Both the animal's name and sound are presented simultaneously). An alternate form of this audio test was examined. The alternate form followed the same construction except in the final condition, the task was to …

Extreme Response Style, Irvine Clarke Iii

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

The objective of this research was to understand the effect of culture on Extreme Response Style (ERS) for cross-cultural marketing efforts employing Likert type scales. Growth in quantitative cross-cultural marketing research has brought alternative methodological considerations, like ERS, to the forefront of attention, since, traditional inferential statistics used in group comparisons become confounded by this systematic bias. Marketers comparing groups with differing degrees of response style may incorrectly make claims based on observed differences that are strictly attributable to cultural ERS. Therefore, the specific objective of this dissertation was to relate ERS to culture, Likert response formats and to demonstrate …

Affinity-Maintenance Strategies And Relationship Satisfaction, Carla J. Jernigan

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the influence of affinity maintenance strategies (i.e., positivity, openness, assurances and sharing tasks) on relationship satisfaction. An individual's perception of his or her partner's affinity-maintenance behaviors was investigated. Gender differences and sex-role attitudes were also examined. Using Stafford and Canary's (1991) Affinity-Maintenance Strategy Measure and Hendrick's (1988) Relationship Assessment Scale, positive correlations were found between the frequency of positivity and relationship satisfaction for males and females. The perception of partner's use of sharing tasks was positively correlated with relationship satisfaction. Gender differences were not found in how frequently males or females utilized affinity-maintenance strategies within their relationship. …

Correlates Of Parental Discipline In Adhd Children, Dawn Marie Powers

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study was designed to examine the parenting of an ADHD child in several important ways. First, it was hypothesized that mothers of ADHD children would report employing harsher, more restrictive disciplinary practices and that more negative interaction patterns, specifically resembling the coercive pattern described by Patterson (1982) would be evident in mother/ADHD child dyads. Second, the present study sought to identify the determinants of disciplinary practices and negative interaction patterns that are believed to exist in mother/ADHD child dyads. It was hypothesized that greater parental stress, difficult child temperament, and less ability to regulate self-control will be positively …

Relationship Between Design Marketing Strategies And Toothbrush Purchases By Consumers, Cynthia Lynn Garvin

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a relationship exists between design marketing strategies of toothbrushes (handle size, color, and shape; brush head size and shape; and bristle firmness and formation of toothbrushes) and toothbrush purchases made by consumers. To understand what consumers preferred, a self-designed, 24 item questionnaire, "Toothbrush Design and Consumer Preferences," was given to a convenience sample of 300 subjects ranging from ages 20 to 60 and over from the Old Dominion University campus in Norfolk, Virginia. Responses from each item were analyzed using frequency and percentages of responses, contingency tables, Kendall's tau b, and …

Validation Of Continuous Self Improvement Flow And Individual Commitment As Personality Constructs, Alexia Anne Fink

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Three personality constructs that are hypothesized to be related to desirable organizational outcomes were validated in the present study. The 363 participants included 39 artists, 43 athletes and 281 psychology students, for a total of 363 participants. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a good fit to the measurement and structural models. The scales were trimmed to maximize discriminative efficacy in an effort to further establish construct validity. The trimmed measures have satisfactory scale characteristics, but their discriminative efficacy is limited.

The Utilization Of Sexual Harassment Grievance Procedures In Universities, Beth Parsons

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present research examined the relations between students' and employees' knowledge of the university's sexual harassment policy/grievance procedure and their reporting behavior. The present research also examined the position of the complainant (i.e., undergraduate student, graduate student, staff, faculty, and administrator) with respect to the incidence of sexual harassment and the response of filing a sexual harassment complaint. A survey assessing the various aspects of interest was sent to all full-time female employees (n = 954) of a medium sized, southeastern university. The response rate was 42% for administrators, 43% for faculty, and 36% for staff. In addition, 178 undergraduate …

Narcissism And Actors: A Comparative Study Of The Narcissistic Qualities Of Actors Acting Students And Psychology Students, David William Wicker

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study compared 200 psychology undergraduates, 47 acting students and 69 professional actors using the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. The inventory was evaluated using both Robert Raskin's seven factor system and Robert Emmons' four factor system. Three comparisons were done. The first analysis involved the three groups, undergraduate, student actors, and professional actors and gender. The second involved only the professional actors and investigated effects of gender and membership in an acting union. The third examined effects of gender and age. The age groups were delineated by decade beginning with teens, the oldest group being in their sixties. The acting groups …