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Memory Deficit Compensation Among Survivors Of Traumatic Brain Injury, Hugo Maynard

Dissertations and Theses

Memory impairment is an outcome of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and associated with lower levels of post-morbid adjustment. This research isolated the memory impairment of retrieval deficit, and examined the efficacy of cues and mnemonics in remediating the impairment. Thirty-three male and female TBI survivors, 18 to 71 years old, were pre-tested for attention (COPY), short-term memory (SD), long-term memory (LD) and recognition memory (RS) employing the Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (CFT), and Subtest. Sixteen subjects demonstrating a retrieval deficit were administered the post-test, with even random assignment into four treatment conditions: a control group (CONTROL), a group administered …

Sex-Role Stereotypes: How Far Have We Come?, Erica D. Monte

Dissertations and Theses

Parents are the first source of a child's learning of her or his gender. In fact, sex-role stereotyping of infants by parents may occur within the first 24 hours of birth. This study examined the nature of parental stereotyping on the basis of their infant's sex by obtaining parents' descriptions of their newborn and toy and clothing preferences for their newborn. In 1974, Rubin found that parents responded stereotypically to their infants on the basis of sex. Following Rubin's interview approach, 50 parent pairs from two urban hospitals were asked to participate in a parent-infant study and were subsequently interviewed …

Viking 1995, Portland State University

The Viking (Yearbooks)

Portland State University 1995 yearbook

Physical And Environmental Features That Contribute To Satisfaction With Hospice Facilities, Arezu Movahed

Dissertations and Theses

Improving the quality of remaining life for individuals who are terminally ill and their families is an issue that has become increasingly important in recent years. This issue has evolved from perceived deficiencies of conventional health care institutions in meeting the needs of people who are in the final stages of their life, when curative measures are no longer deemed appropriate. In response to deficiencies in care of the terminally ill and their families, there has been a movement toward humanizing conventional health care and making it more holistic. Hospice care, which is consistent with this movement, has evolved as …

An Assessment Of The Adequacy Of The Services Of An Urban Public University For International And U.S. Students: A Comparative Study, Alfonso Hernandez Pioquinto

Dissertations and Theses

This study compares the instructional, academic support, and student services needs of international and American students at Portland State University (PSU), Portland, Oregon. Variables measured include the perceived importance of university-related services, and the level of satisfaction with services received. A questionnaire with 26 background questions and 41 service-related items for ranking and discussion was mailed to 225 undergraduate international students and 225 undergraduate American students, with a response rate of 52%. Responses were tabulated to ascertain demographic profile of PSU students, importance of university services to international students at PSU, current level of satisfaction of international students in regards …

Social Support In An Urban Moroccan Neighborhood: The Effects Of Social Networks, Mediation And Patronage On The Physical Health And Psychological Adjustment Of Women, Carla Ann Green

Dissertations and Theses

Although there has been a great deal of research in the areas of social networks, social support and well-being over the past two decades, little of that research has been cross-cultural, and virtually none has been carried out in countries outside the West. The present study attempted to describe the structure and functioning of the social networks of a group of relatively modern urban Moroccan women, and the associations among their social networks, social support, physical health and psychological well-being. Extensive interviews were conducted with 108 married or previously-married women who were living in a middle-class neighborhood in Rabat, Morocco. …

Structuring Skinner: Argument, Structure, And Metaphor In Verbal Behavior, Patrick Hamilton

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

Skinner’s purpose in Verbal Behavior is to make the study of behavior a science and thus to eliminate argument, rhetoric, and metaphor. But clearly Skinner has not completely eliminated argument, rhetoric, and metaphor from his study. This discussion of Skinner’s work demonstrates that these rhetorical and persuasive ways are tied into his "scientific" investigation of language and verbal behavior, and in many ways, it is these very methods that allow Skinner to create and describe his conception of verbal behavior, even as he claims to be eliminating and avoiding the use of these techniques. This analysis of Skinner's Verbal Behavior …

Stop Making Me Laugh, Can't You See I'M Dying Here?, Pam Parrish

Anthós Journal (1990-1996)

The Phaedo comprises one speech. This speech is delivered in the form of a war; a war that wonders about and is fought over the existence of the soul after the death of the body. Does the soul here perish, or is it truly immortal? The life or death of the soul becomes in this sense the prize of the war-the underlying cause, the quest for knowledge of the Truth. Thus, the side that presents the prevailing theory of the soul receives, not only the honor of possessing the answer to this long and much-sought after question, but also the …

Behavioral And Community Impacts Of The Portland Needle Exchange Program, Kathleen Joan Oliver

Dissertations and Theses

Research questions were: 1: Will Drug Injectors Use An Exchange In A StateWhere Syringes Are Legal? 2: Will Drug Injectors Using An Exchange Decrease Risky Behavior? 3: Will Frequent Clients Change Risk Behaviors More Than Infrequent Clients? 4: Will Drug Injectors Using An Exchange Change Risk Behaviors More Than A Comparison Group Not Using An Exchange? 5: Does An Exchange Have An Impact On The Number Of Discarded Syringes On The Streets? 6: Is There A Difference In The Rate Of Spread Of HIV Infection Among Users And Non-Users Of The Exchange. Drug injectors will use needle exchange programs, even …

Performance Appraisal In Organizational Cultural Context, Unoda C. Moyo

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the relationship between an organization's culture and its performance appraisal (PA) system and process. The initial phase of this study involved examining an organization's culture and the properties of its performance appraisal system from organizational archival information. Information derived from this phase of the study was later utilized to formulate interview questions, guide the search for the organizational culture survey instrument, and to construct the performance appraisal perceptions measuring instrument. This latter instrument is a quantitative measure that was later employed in testing the primary hypothesis that stated the performance appraisal process had a positive effect on …

Spiritual Health: Association For The Advancement Of Health Education Instructors' Attitudes, Practices And Training, Susanne Meyer Christopher

Dissertations and Theses

Health education uses a holistic, multi-dimensional perspective (Hoyman, 1961; Donatelle, 1991; Hales, 1992). In recent years an emergent issue in health education is concern for disproportionate representation among the human dimensions--emotional, social, physical, intellectual, spiritual. Discussion occurs over the apparent underrepresentation of spiritual health in health education materials (Chandler & Kolander, 1990). While the professional literature contains articles discussing the under-representation of spiritual health (Jose & Taylor, 1986; Bensley, 1991), no empirical studies are available to assess the current status of spiritual health in health education materials or the spiritual health attitudes of health educators. This study provides empirical data …

We Are The Vanguard, Not The Norm: Stories Of Successful Minority Students In Predominantly White Graduate Teacher Education Programs, Leslie Rennie-Hill

Dissertations and Theses

Minorities stand increasingly under-represented in the teaching profession; they continue to be under-represented in graduate teacher preparation programs. Despite calls for increased numbers of minority teachers, despite countless well-intentioned recruitment and retention programs, the relative proportion of newly prepared minority teachers is in fact decreasing (Carter & Wilson, 1992). Literally hundreds of studies examine retention programs, identifying the deficits of minorities, noting what program elements work, and establishing characteristics of supportive institutional environments. Unfortunately, knowing what can be done to I increase persistence does not yet translate into doing it. By focusing on a positive correlate--those minority students who successfully …

The Tripartite Model Of Rehabilitation Intervention: Basics, Goals And Rehabilitation Strategies, Hanoch Livneh

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper discusses the tripartite model of rehabilitation as embedded within the broader model of therapeutic interventions. Rehabilitation, or tertiary intervention, can be viewed as addressing specific goals as they relate to diverse functional limitations. The three phases, or components, of rehabilitation intervention discussed include: (a) disability minimization in an effort to reduce its impact upon life activities; (b) skill development, as an attempt to compensate for limitations imposed by permanent losses; and (c) environmental manipulation to promote physical and social-attitudinal accessibility. The paper concludes with discussion of the model's applicability to the field of rehabilitation counseling.

Portland State Magazine, Portland State University. Office Of University Communications

Portland State Magazine

PSU’s alumni magazine, published 2-3 times a year. In this issue: Moving PSU athletic teams to the Big Sky Conference—a match made in heaven or a crash landing?; if gangs only conjure up an image of urban black youth, you’re wrong; dealing with today’s complex world requires new thinking, as suggested in this article by System Science professor Harold Lintone; the dinosaur bones Dave Taylor dug up in Oregon this past summer are now part of the museum collection he oversees; a screenplay writer and PSU alum finds success in Tinseltown; and more.

Towards An Ontology Of Problems, Martin Zwick

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Systems theory offers a language in which one might formulate a metaphysics (or more specifically an ontology) of problems. This proposal is based upon a conception of systems theory shared by von Bertalanffy, Wiener, Boulding, Rapoport, Ashby, Klir, and others, and expressed succinctly by Bunge, who considered game theory, information theory, feedback control theory, and the like to be attempts to construct an "exact and scientific metaphysics." Our prevailing conceptions of "problems" are concretized yet also fragmented and in fact dissolved by the standard reductionist model of science, which cannot provide a general framework for analysis. The idea of a …

Causal Attributions For Teen Problem Drinking, Barbara J. Seatter

Dissertations and Theses

Teen problem-drinking is a pervasive problem in our society. Teens with drinking problems utilize treatment centers and then return to school attempting to stay sober. However, many return to affiliate with problem drinkers instead of with non-drinkers, and risk for relapse is high. One explanation may be that teens without drinking problems do not accept teen problem drinkers into their peer group due to negative reactions toward problem drinkers. One way to examine their attitudes is to examine differences between teen problem drinkers and non-drinkers regarding causal attributions. Attribution theory proposes that various attributions will elicit different emotional reactions and …

The Decision And Rationale Which Led To Construction On High-Risk Land After The 1964 Alaska Earthquake: Analysis Of Risk-Based Cultural Dissociation, Sheila Ann Selkregg

Dissertations and Theses

Many lives and much property are lost in disasters when individuals and communities choose to ignore information which could mitigate the potential disaster. This case study examines community and individual decision processes and rationale which led to construction of a high-occupancy high-rise courthouse on land designated as high risk after the 1964 Alaska earthquake. The study reviews policy and decision making, psychology, and risk management literature to explore the psychological mechanisms and processes of hazard mitigation decisions.

It questions why individuals and communities choose not to mitigate when they have the information which makes risk mitigation possible. The hypothesis theorizes …

Children's Conception Of The Social And Moral Dilemmas Associated With Drug Use, Nancy Lynn Thayer

Dissertations and Theses

The use and abuse of drugs among adolescents and adults has prompted a renewed national concern about drug abuse. Educational programs have attempted to provided factual information and create negative attitudes about drug use so that students will decide not to use drugs. Studies have revealed, however, that the drug programs have not been effective in reducing drug use.

The present research addresses two primary questions: 1) Are there developmental differences in young persons' perceptions of social and moral dilemmas associated with drug use? and 2) Are gender and race associated with social and moral reasoning about drug use?

Semi-structured …

Women Who Worship Alone: The Relationship Between Marital Status And Loneliness In The Church, Judith Ann Schwanz

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the relationship between marital status, network density, and loneliness for women in the church. Participants were 144 women from several churches of the same Protestant denomination. They responded to a questionnaire which included the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale and measures of the importance of the church as a social support to the individual. A one-way analysis of variance revealed that the married women who worship alone reported significantly higher levels of loneliness than did single women.

Youth's Perceptions Of Social And Cultural Dimensions Of Drug Use, Brett Joseph Casper

Dissertations and Theses

This study explores youth's perceptions and understanding of the social phenomenon of drugs in our society. Sixty-four students (32 fourth graders and 32 eleventh graders), selected from schools in the Portland Public School District participated individually in a one hour interview where they responded to open ended questions that probed for their perceptions of drug use. Participants were also asked to describe their feelings regarding anti-drug messages they view in the media and their comments regarding the "Just Say NO" program. The tape-recorded interviews were transcribed and half were used to develop a code that captured recurring themes in the …

City Club Of Portland Report On Homosexuality In Oregon, City Club Of Portland (Portland, Or.)

City Club of Portland

No abstract provided.

Math Anxiety, Coping Behavior, And Gender, Sandra Joy Grossmann

Dissertations and Theses

Non-math majors enrolled in lower-division math courses at an urban university were surveyed on their math attitudes, coping behaviors, and math anxiety (MATHANX). The Revised Ways of Coping Checklist (RWCC), Revised Math Anxiety Rating Scale, and other questions were presented to 30 men and 32 women.

Hierarchical regressions showed that after controlling for attitudinal covariates, emotion-focused coping behaviors (EMOTFOC) were strongly associated with MATHANX (F(5,54)=18.66, p < .0001), but problem-focused coping behaviors (PROBFOC) were not. The RWCC subscale most highly correlated with MATHANX was Wishful Thinking (r = .70, p < .0001). Ss were then dichotomized on PROBFOC and EMOTFOC, providing four behavioral groups. An ANCOVA controlling for attitudinal covariates showed behavioral group membership significant with respect to MATHANX (F(3,58)=6.07, p < .001), and an ANOVA revealed that students who reported high EMOTFOC coupled with low PROBFOC experienced the greatest MATHANX (F(3,58) = 12.66, p < .0001).

Males and females reported virtually identical MATHANX (M=36.30 for males, 36.44 for females), and the only significant gender difference was for avoidance coping, which was used more by males (F(1,60) = 5.43, p < .03]. Results from this study suggest that fewer gender differences may exist in MATHANX and coping than have been found in the past. Additionally, this study identifies the need for future research to determine whether EMOTFOC is the behavioral component, or one of the determinants, of math anxiety.

1994 Commencement Program, A. Gary Ames

Commencement Archives 1990-99

The program for the Portland State University Spring Commencement ceremony on June 11, 1994.

A. Gary Ames, communications executive and Portland State alumnus, received an honorary degree and delivered the commencement address.

The Effects Of Type Of Child Care Arrangement And Satisfaction With Care On Employee Job Satisfaction And Absenteeism, Hanh Hong Nguyen

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the effects of different types of child care arrangements (i.e., care by relatives; care by nonrelatives; self-care by child; and care by day care centers) and satisfaction with care on employee absenteeism and job satisfaction. A 53% response rate was obtained from a questionnaire administered to 501 classified staff employees at Portland State University. Only responses from employees with children under the age of 18 living at home were used. Eighty-six employees met this selection criterion.

It was hypothesized that parents using self-care by child would have the highest absences, followed by parents using day care centers, …

Impact Of Goal-Setting On Motivation As Affected By The Joint Influence Of The Attributional Dimensions Of Causality, Stability, And Control, Nancy Davis Hodges

Dissertations and Theses

A systematic, empirical study conducted in eight hospital operating rooms found that employees often select opportunity-dependent goals. These goals are self-set or chosen by the individual, but the opportunity to perform the goal chosen is dependent on others. For example, "learn to circulate on total joint surgeries" is a self-set, opportunity-dependent goal. The individual must be assigned to that job. It was found that when this type of goal is chosen and the individual is not given the opportunity to perform it, the individual attributes the failure to external causes. This failed opportunity-goal type was significantly related to lower motivation, …

A Comparison Of The Cohesion In The Expository Discourse Of The Optimally-Healthy Young-Old And The Optimally-Healthy Oldest-Old, Penni Gay Siemens

Dissertations and Theses

The group of people aged 85 years and older is the fastest growing chronological population on the United States (Neal et al., 1993), and while a considerable amount of research has focused on the language of the elderly (those over 65 years), relatively little study has focused specifically on those aged 85 and older. This study is valuable in that it includes a large sample of optimally healthy people aged 85 and older. This sample of the optimally-healthy oldest-old will help define what changes, if any, are a function of age alone and what changes are clinical (associated with some …

An Experimental Study Of Scotopic Sensitivity/Irlen Syndrome In Learning Disabled Students, Kathleen Hickam Farber

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the effect on reading performance of a controversial treatment for a dysfunction of visual perception known as Scotopic sensitivity/lrlen Syndrome. The treatment, referred to as spectral modification, involved the use of colored transparent overlays for reading by four elementary school children in their actual school environments.

The diagnostic, prescriptive and remediation procedures used in this study were originally developed by Helen Irlen, a California psychologist and researcher. Irlen conceptualized Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome as a difficulty in visual processing of the printed page when perceived through full spectrum light. Spectral modification techniques were considered controversial in that they …

The Preferred Learning Styles Of Greek Efl Students And Greek Efl Teachers, Debra Jane Gregory

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify the preferred learning styles of Greek EFL students and teachers in Greece. The learning styles examined were visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile, group and individual. The study was conducted at a private English language school in Piraeus, Greece. Ninety-two Greek EFL students (33 male and 59 female) ranging in age from 13 to 22, and 11 Greek EFL teachers (3 male and 8 female) ranging in age from 22 to 52 constitute the sample. The study used the self-reporting learning style questionnaire that Reid (1987) developed to measure the preferred learning style preferences …

Genetic Algorithms And Artificial Life, Melanie Mitchell, Stephanie Forrest

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Genetic algorithms are computational models of evolution that play a central role in many artificial-life models. We review the history and current scope of research on genetic algorithms in artificial life, giving illustrative examples in which the genetic algorithm is used to study how learning and evolution interact, and to model ecosystems, immune system, cognitive systems, and social systems. We also outline a number of open questions and future directions for genetic algorithms in artificial-life research

A Bootstrapped Regression Model Of Psychological Predictors Of Success In Naturopathic Medical School, Christa Claire Louise

Dissertations and Theses

In response to a need for more primary care physicians and patients' growing attraction to alternative health care, greater numbers of individuals are applying to naturopathic colleges. With increasing numbers of applicants, better methods of predicting potential effectiveness as an N.D. are needed. This study examined factors (both academic and psychosocial) that best predict success in naturopathic school.

Demographic, academic, and psychosocial survey data were collected from thirty-three students who had just completed their second year of naturopathic medical school. This information was correlated with scores on the NPLEX Basic Science exams which were taken the following summer.

Because of …