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Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa: The Patients' Perspective, Benita J. Quackenbush

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eating-disorder clients show low motivation, poor follow-through, and inordinate premature dropout rates in treatment. To date, little research has been conducted that might provide clinicians with an understanding of the critical factors that may aid clients' recovery. Such factors may be used by clinicians to better motivate clients to collaborate in treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify some of the critical factors that women with eating disorders believed were crucial in prompting or facilitating their recovery. Identification of these factors was accomplished through a systematic content analysis of semistructured interviews with recovered or recovering bulimics and anorexics. …

The Effect Of A Nutrition And Fitness Program On The Dietary Habits, Fitness Level, And Health Status Of Ute Indian Youth, Alison K. Lemon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Lifestyle changes from traditional diet and activities to modem diets high in fat and sugar, and sedentary habits have increased inherited health risk for diabetes and obesity among Native American youth. Nutrition education and physical activity programs have been recommended to help reduce health-risk factors. This study evaluated a summer nutrition education and fitness program for effectiveness in improving the dietary habits, nutrition knowledge, fitness level, and health status of American Indian children ages 9-14 living on or near the Uintah-Ouray Reservation in Uintah and Duchesne Counties of Eastern Utah.

A 6-week nutrition and fitness program was conducted through the …

Infant Physical Attractiveness, Affect, Temperament, And Gender In Relation To Tester Behavior, Andrea D. Hart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Easily observable infant characteristics have been shown to influence others; perceptions of infant competence. This study examined the relation between infant characteristics and a tester's willingness to repeat opportunities for the infant to pass items during administration of a cognitive test. Results showed that infant physical attractiveness was related to lower elicited infant performance (the ratio of items initially failed). Positive affect was related to higher test scores. Because first impressions are likely to contribute to future relationships, it may be important to educate adults who interact with infants about the effects of stereotyping infants based on first impressions.

Risk Factors Associated With Early Adolescent Sexual Values And Behaviors, David Macbeth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Adolescent sexual activity and subsequent pregnancy are ii an increasing dilemma facing American society . There appears to be an increase in the incidence of casual sexual activity among adolescents that leads to over 50% of students between grades 9 and 12 having been involved in sexual intercourse. This study examines changes in adolescent sexual attitudes, behaviors, and values in a select population over a 2-year time span.

A survey of 548 families with adolescents was used to determine the impact of the Facts and Feelings home-based sexual abstinence program on mean scores for academic aspirations, academic achievement , sexual …

The Relations Between Parenting Stress, Father Involvement, And Leisure, Among Fathers Of Preschool-Age Children, Patricia Mehl Brown

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined relations between fathers' parenting stress, father involvement in child care giving, and family leisure activity among 46 fathers of preschool age children. Results indicate that the relations between parenting stress and father involvement depend on child gender. A negative association was found between parenting stress and father involvement in caregiving among fathers of boys but a positive association was found between these two variables among fathers of girls. furthermore, higher levels of family play are associated with lower levels of parenting stress among fathers of boys. Results also indicated a negative association between father involvement and mothers' …

Perceived Children's Characteristics And Other Factors Relating To Parents' Psychological Well-Being In Midlife, Catherine D. Stogner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research examined child-parent relationships from the perspective of the psychological well-being of parents during midlife and while launching children. A subsample of 1,253 parents from the National Survey of Families and Households was studied using variables from both waves (1988 and 1993) of longitudinal data. Fathers and mothers were analyzed separately for depression and self-satisfaction at the second wave (1993) in relation to their< perceptions of child, adjustment and child-parent relationships in 1988, and parents' employment and their marital status in 1993.

Analyses showed that fathers' depression scores in 1 g93 were significantly related to fathers' perceptions of child adjustment (total and positive), and fathers' age, marital, and employment status. Mothers' depression scores were associated with their …

Adolescents' Recollection Of Early Physical Contact: Implications For Attachment And Intimacy, Mark D. Oleson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Three hundred seventy-six college students responded to a measure designed to examine retrospective accounts of the physical affection received during early childhood. The study looked exclusively from the perspective of the adolescent. Assessing the importance of touch in human development, and the role it plays in adult attachment and the ability to form and maintain close and intimate relations with others was the purpose of the study.

Six separate measures were used to assess the role of touch in adolescent development: three items from Gupta and Schork to assess physical affection (touch); Simpson's attachment style measure; Gerlsma, Arrindell, Van der …

Adolescent Friendship Pairs: Similarities In Identity Status Development, Behaviors, Attitudes, And Intentions, James F. Akers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Similarities between adolescent friends have been established for many characteristics, including the physical, behavioral, psychological, academic, and social domains of development. Past research and theory also support the notion that psychological and behavioral characteristics are likely related to ego-identity characteristics. This study was primarily a test of the logical extension of the previous statements: Best friends are more similar than nonfriends on identity characteristics. It was also hypothesized that best friends are more similar than nonfriends on behaviors, attitudes, and intentions expected to be related to identity.

A sample of 1,159 grade 10-12 students responded to a survey that included …

The Effect Of Peer Counseling Training And Experience On Peer Counselors, Holly Day Mcfarland

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This study was designed to measure improvement in communication skills of 11 peer counselors after training. The instrument utilized was the Interpersonal Communication Inventory which was given in a pretest-treatment-posttest format. The treatment consisted of a three month intensive training program which emphasized improving communication skills in the areas of listening, empathy and understanding. The results indicated that the peer counselors improved their communication skills dramatically. The mean on the pretest was 83.82, while the mean after the treatment was 100.09.

The Right To Die: A Brief Look At Physician-Assisted Suicide, Brooke Meredith Sanders Purves

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Recently, there has been some discussion in Congress about writing a Constitutional amendment declaring that every American citizen has the "right to die" if he or she so sees fit. Opponents of this amendment believe that it will be abused - that although the amendment would generally apply to terminally ill patients, depressed teenagers and the like will be able to commit suicide if they feel like it, and mothers with deformed infants may act as guardians and exercise the right for their children, with no protection from the state. Their concern is certainly warranted. It is not the goal …

The Experience Of Psychology Paraprofessionals: Views Of Peer Counselors And Peer Educators, Heather L. Edgel

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

This study was conducted to examine the experience of students as paraprofessionals in psychology. 102 peer counselors/educators from 10 universities across America were sampled. The research data generated was descriptive in nature. Paraprofessionals rated experience satisfaction and expressed opinions regarding their involvement in peer counseling and peer educating programs.

Facilitation Of Intervention Strategies Of Utah State University's Human Learning Clinic: Incorporation Of Visual Learning Techniques, Jennifer L. Roskelley

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

During Winter and Spring Quarters 1995, I had the opportunity to become a tutor for Utah State University's Human Learning Clinic under the direction of Dr. Lani VanDusen, I chose to become involved in this endeavor to fulfill an Honors Independent study requirement for my "senior honor's experience". In doing so, l spent Winter Quarter preparing for the actual tutoring by familiarizing myself with the various intervention strategies adhered to by the clinic and becoming comfortable with the administration of the activities involved in each method. Prior to the beginning of Spring Quarter, I was assigned my own personal client: …

Schaller And Matthiessen Journey Through The Himalayas: Two Contemporary Nature Writers Synthesize Science And Spirituality, Audrie Jane Turner

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Long before Charles Darwin's time, members of Western civilization viewed the sciences and spirituality as antithetical approaches to life. In the last 150 years, the argument for superiority of one over the other has continued, and Darwin's theories merely intensified the debate. However, American nature writing has evolved in a way that often synthesizes science and spirituality. This thesis will discuss this synthesis, and how two contemporary nature writers have dealt with the combination of science and spirituality in the natural and literary world. The merging of these two seemingly opposed subjects may be one of the most instructive and …

Gregory Natural Bridge & La Gorce Arch: Escalante River Landscapes And History, Jared Randall Farmer

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Among abundant natural splendor, the canyons of the lower Escalante River enclose immense arches and bridges. Secluded in a jungle of slickrock, these natural spans attracted minimal attention until mid-century. Not until 1940 was Gregory Natural Bridge officially-if not genuinely-discovered. The "discoverer " was Norman Nevills, one of the most prominent and most colorful early commercial river runners in the West. Like Glen Canyon, Nevills' staple run, much of the bygone wilderness of the lower Escalante River now lies beneath Lake Powell. Gregory Natural Bridge was submerged by the filling reservoir, easily the largest span lost that way. Its present …

Development And Preliminary Validation Of A Self-Report Instrument For Assessing Internalizing Problems In Children, Amy Sanford Walters

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In recent years, research in childhood psychopathology has focused on a group of disorders referred to as internalizing. Internalizing disorders include such problems as depression, anxiety, somatic complaints, and social withdrawal. These disorders frequently coexist with one another. Due to the inner-directed nature of these disorders, and their tendency to coexist, internalizing problems often go unnoticed and untreated. The present study involved the development and preliminary validation of a new self-report instrument for assessing a broad range of internalizing problems in children, the Internalizing Disorders Evaluation Scale for Children (IDESC).

The research was conducted in five distinct phases: (a) item …

The Effect Of Rituals On Newlywed Marital Adjustment, Bryan D. Bingham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the relationship between rituals and marital adjustment among a sample of newlyweds. Rituals and marital adjustment were defined and their importance in family life outlined. Five research questions guided the study: (1) Is ritual activity associated with marital adjustment and length of courtship for newlyweds?; (2) Is ritual activity associated with marital satisfaction and length of courtship for newlyweds?; (3) Is ritual activity associated with cohesion and length of courtship for newlyweds?; (4) Is ritual activity associated with consensus and length of courtship for newlyweds?; and (5) Is there a difference between husbands and wives on the …

The Effect Of Immediacy And Salience Questionnaire Response Rates, Audrey Matsumoto

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In this study, a theory that identified salience and immediacy as two constructs that significantly determine questionnaire response rates was tested. This theory emphasized the importance of identifying and rating factors that impact the immediacy and salience of a questionnaire to a specific population. It was proposed that factors that make a questionnaire highly immediate and salient to a given population should be identified first, and then implemented into the construction and administration of the questionnaire. In this way, researchers can manipulate the variables, which will maximize the response rate for their specific population before distribution. A questionnaire that is …

An Interdisciplinary Theoretical Framework For The Mailed Questionnaire Process And The Development Of A Theory On Immediacy And Salience As Significant Variables Of Response Rates, Maribeth Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The mailed questionnaire research process developed historically as part of the survey research movement, with guidelines and models drawn from an array of scientific research methods and disciplines. Although the mailed questionnaire has become one of the most popular research instruments for obtaining data beyond the reach of the observer, the response bias generated from the generally low return rate of the mailed questionnaire survey has remained a problem. For over three decades researchers have generated a plethora of research on the effectiveness of the various aspects of the mailed questionnaire process and the resultant impact of various constructs on …

The Relationships Of Gender And Age With Peer Acceptance In Primary-Grade, Multiage Classrooms At Edith Bowen Laboratory School, Thomas Anthony Shuster

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study describes the effects of gender and age on peer acceptance in primary-grade, multiage classrooms at Edith Bowen Laboratory School at Utah State University. The population described consisted of six multiage classrooms composed of male and female students from 6 to 8 years old. The classrooms were approximately balanced by gender and age. Students spent the entire day and received all instruction in the multiage setting.

Students completed "Work With" and "Play With" sociometric rating-scale instruments. For both instruments, results revealed the existence of "gender cleavage"--both genders preferred work and play partners of their own gender. In general, age …

Home Visiting For Children With Developmental Delays: An Empirical Evaluation, Tracy L. Black

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Home visiting services have become an important and common component of early intervention for children with developmental delays. Currently, this group of children is the most frequent target of home visiting programs throughout the nation, although research evaluating the effectiveness of these programs is less pervasive. For this reason, a comprehensive analysis of studies within the home visiting literature that specifically focused on children with developmental delays and their families has been conducted. This effort has been accomplished through the process of meta-analysis. In addition to the computation of standardized mean difference effect sizes, emphasis was also placed on identifying …

A National Survey Of Training Practices Of Agencies Employing Home Visitors, Nicole Hawkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study reports the characteristics of home visitor training based on the results of a national survey of nominated best practice home visiting programs that service children with disabilities and their families. Two hundred thirty-six programs were nominated by their state's director of Maternal-Child Health and/or their state's Part H Coordinator as community-based programs that have had success integrating home visiting services into their community's overall system of care for children eligible for Part H services and/or special health care needs. The return rate of the survey was 85%, and these 193 programs serve as the basis for this study. …

Analogical Problem Solving: An Exploratory Analysis Of The Facilitating Effects Of Type Of Training, Analog Type, And Level Of Expertise On Spontaneous Transfer, Dune E. Ives

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research on analogical problem solving has delineated several factors that impact one's ability to spontaneously generate a correct solution strategy to a target problem. These factors include, but are not limited to, type of analogy provided to subjects (i.e., partial versus complete), the level of isomorphism between analogies and target problems, and the solver's level of analogical problem-solving expertise

Recently, researchers have begun to focus on providing solvers with direct instruction on analogical problem-solving processes and strategies in an effort to augment analogical problem-solving ability. The most common type of instruction (i.e., teacher-generated) involves providing direct instruction on problem-solving processes …

Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia Nervosa: The Patients' Perspective, Benita J. Quakenbush

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Eating-disorder clients show low motivation, poor follow-through, and inordinate premature dropout rates in treatment. To date, little research has been conducted that might provide clinicians with an understanding of the critical factors that may aid clients' recovery. Such factors may be used by clinicians to better motivate clients to collaborate in treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify some of the critical factors that women with eating disorders believed were crucial in prompting or facilitating their recovery. Identification of these factors was accomplished through a systematic content analysis of semistructured interviews with recovered or recovering bulimics and anorexics. …

Is There A Connection? An Exploratory Study Of Abuse Experiences And Perpetration Patterns Among College Males, Monique R. Frazier

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine self-reported experiences of primary, secondary, and perpetrated abuse of an emotional, physical, and sexual nature among a male, nonclinical, noncriminal sample. One hundred forty-two subjects completed the Youth Experiences and Behaviors Questionnaire (YEBQ) (developed by the author) and the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS). Results indicated that overall, the YEBQ demonstrated moderate to high levels of internal consistency reliability and moderate levels of concurrent and divergent validity. Various descriptive statistics, scale, and subscale correlations for the YEBQ were provided.

Results indicated that secondary abuse information was most predictive of later abuse perpetration with …

A Validation Study Of The Trio Measure Of Visual Processing Ability, Jonathan David Spach

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Trio is a newly developed group-administered instrument designed to measure visual ability for application in cognitive styles research. This study investigated the validity of Trio as seen in its convergence or divergence with two established tests, one conceptually related and one conceptually unrelated. The correlation of Trio scores with scores on these other two tests was examined using a sample of undergraduate students.

The analysis of the relationship between scores on Trio and on the conceptually related Learning Figures Test failed to provide evidence that these two tests are measuring the same construct. At the same time, Trio's correlation with …

Effects Of A Parent's Intervention To Decrease Stereotypic Behavior And Increase Interactions Using Self-Management Treatment For Students With Autism In Korea, Jeongil Kim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present investigation examined the effects of a parent's intervention to teach students with autism self-management to decrease their stereotypic behaviors. A time-lagged ABA (A represents the first baseline, B does intervention, and A does the second baseline) design was used. Three mothers of children with autism were trained to reduce their children's stereotypic behaviors using a self-monitoring strategy. The training for the parent was conducted in two settings after the first baseline condition. A classroom was used for the first training session and the home was used for the second training session. The intervention by the parent was conducted …

Risk Factors And Bulimia Outcomes In Adolescent Women: A Longitudinal And Retrospective Analysis, Therese Elizabeth Barnett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The goal of the present study was to verify whether four purported risk factors predate the development of eating disorder symptoms, particularly bulimia nervosa. The four major purported risk factors for developing bulimia nervosa (and eating disorders in general) among female adolescents include: (a) over internalization of culture’s value of thinness in women, (b) inordinate dissatisfaction with body form, (c) depression, and (d) irrational beliefs and cognitions about thinness and the benefits of dieting. The present study involved a 5-year follow-up of adolescent girls initially identified as being either at high or low risk for developing an eating disorder, particularly …

A Survey Of Perceived Control And Domestic Environment Aspects Of Early Adolescent Boys With And Without Identified Externalizing Behavior Problems, Gary W. Mauk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two demographically congruous groups of early adolescent boys, one group with identified externalizing behavior problems (ESP) and one group enrolled in regular education (RED), were surveyed using anonymous self-report questionnaires that assessed academic, social, and general domains of perceived control and aspects of familial experiences. Data from EBP and RED boys' extant scholastic archival records were also collected. Also, using anonymous self-report questionnaires, the parents of EBP and RED boys were surveyed regarding their levels of satisfaction regarding aspects of parenting.

This study found that EBP boys had statistically significantly lower reading, math, and language achievement scores and grade point …

Sources Of Recreational And Community Conflict From Tourism In Moab, Utah, Susan R. Van Patten

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A written survey of 200 Moab residents was used to measure residents' attitudes 11 toward tourism. Three regression models were developed using variables identified in the tourism literature to measure the relative importance of interpersonal contacts with tourists, negative impacts to outdoor-recreation experiences, and community experience in predicting attitudes toward tourism. Interpersonal contacts and recreation impacts both had fairly high predictive capabilities. It was concluded that interactions between recreation visitors/tourists and local residents should be a focus of further research.

Data from the Moab resident survey were also used in conjunction with a survey of mountain bikers visiting or living …

A Study Of The Effects Of Body Image Education On Body Image In Adults Aged 60 And Older, Amy Peterson Hirtle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Body image has been addressed through weight loss, but little research has been done that addresses accepting one's body. Even less research has been done on the body image concerns of older adults. Adults over age 60 who live in Arizona and spend their summers in Logan, Utah, participated in a body image education at Utah State University. The Body Esteem Scale and the Inventory of Positive Psychological Attitudes were used to measure the effect of the course on the participants. Older adults on average scored as high or higher than did younger older adults on both measurements.

Body image …