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A Component Analysis Of Behavioral Procedures For Increasing Work Rate In Mentally Retarded Adults, Stephen Emory Wong

Dissertations

This study was a component analysis of several procedures commonly employed in behavioral vocational rehabilitation programs. The work rate of retarded subjects was assessed under four conditions: (1) baseline; (2) verbal prompts; (3) verbal prompts and social reinforcement; and (4) verbal prompts, social reinforcement, and monetary reinforcement. Subjects were four, moderately retarded, male clients of a sheltered workshop. The experimental task involved assembly of a metal knife composed of four separate pieces. Treatment effects were analyzed within a mixed multielement reversal design where each subject served as his own control. Results showed that baseline sessions, all started with the simple …

A Behaviorally-Based Graduate Practicum Program In Applied Behavior Analysis, James Harper Kaye

Dissertations

Although practica are often required of psychology students at various points during their graduate training, seldom are any resulting skills described and validated. Faculty are occasionally involved in campus-based clinics which serve some practicum students; however, when practica are based off-campus, faculty are seldom directly involved. As a result, practica are frequently uncoordinated, duplicative, and non-specific in terms of their practicum student training procedures.

Although there have been some attempts reported to systematize and coordinate either off-campus or on-campus practica, no such effort has been previously reported in relation to multiple complex organizations, both on-campus and off-campus.

In the present …

Path-Goal Theory Of Leader Behavior And Its Relation To Job Satisfaction As Moderated By The Intrinsic Motivation Of The Task, Diane Lloyd Gillo

Dissertations

The path-goal theory of leadership, based on an expectancy formulation of motivation, provides a potent schema for the investigation of the relationship between leader behavior and subordinates' satisfactions in the workplace. The inclusion of task related satisfactions has been dealt with as a contingency factor, but this study included the measurement of task design variables consistent with the task design literature.

According to the path-goal theory, leaders are effective because of their impact on subordinates' motivation, ability to perform effectively, and satisfactions. The study was designed to analyze the relationship between the independent variable of leader behavior and the dependent …

Intelligibility Of Speech Produced With An Artificial Larynx At Various Frequencies, Sandra Arlene Merritt

Masters Theses

Word intelligibility scores of 21 listeners were used to test the hypothesis that speech intelligibility will vary systematically across speakers and fundamental frequency of electrolarynx vibration.

Twenty-one listeners transcribed audio recorded lists of CVC utterances produced with an electrolarynx by 3 speakers at each of five fundamental frequencies.

Comparative analysis of scores across frequencies and speakers were discussed in terms of:

a) source transmission characteristics of "electrolaryngeal" speech, b) implications for diagnosis/therapeusis of alaryngeal speakers.

Results indicated that intelligibility scores were significantly different between speakers and between frequencies within speakers. Maximum intelligibility scores were more highly correlated with certain frequencies …

The Effects Of Contingent Shock On Cigarette Smoking Behavior: An Attempt To Replicate, Marianne M. Narick

Masters Theses

This experiment attempted to replicate previously reported research (DeRicco, Brigham, and Garlington, 1977) which demonstrated smoking suppression using contingent shock. A multiple-baseline across subjects design was employed to assess experimental control. A heterogeneous group of five males and two females ranging in age from 19 to 61 years, participated in the experiment. Subjects attended 30 minute treatment sessions conducted 5 days per week, Monday thru Friday, where 25 shocks were delivered on an unpredictable, variable interval schedule contingent upon the subject lighting a cigarette, holding a burning cigarette and/or smoking a cigarette. Treatment continued for a minimum of 3 weeks …

The Political Philosophy Of John Rawls: An Examination Of His View Of Man And Social Stability In The Just Society, Calvin Jay Mouw

Masters Theses

The thesis constitutes a critical examination of Rawl's psychological assumptions in A Theory of Justice. Rawl's psychological theory, derived from Rousseau and Kohlberg and characterized by his "Sense of Justice", depends upon overly altruistic assumptions about man's nature. These assumptions, along with resultant high levels of public motivation, lead to a high degree of social instability. Rawls fails to address this instability adequately.

The alternative model developed in this thesis takes as given the demonstrated ability of human beings to cooperate with one another and bases this capacity, in the tradition of Hume, on a mechanism of sympathy which brings …

The Detection Of Behavioral Effects In The F1 Generation Of Mice Treated During Spermatogenesis With Mitcmycin C And Ethyl-Nitrosourea, Bethel Elizabeth Imel

Masters Theses

Groups of 10, 8 and 6 HA(1CR) adult male mice were injected by a single intraperitoneal injection with 100 mg Ethyl-Nitrosourea, 2.5 mg Mitomcyin C or a saline Control. Treatment was administered in milligram per kilogram of body weight. Each male was mated to two untreated females during the fifth week after treatment. Progeny were evaluated by observations of reproduction, development, motor reflex, motor coordination and locomotor activity. Decreased weights were seen during the preweaning period among offspring from Mitomycin C treated males. The Mitomycin C group demonstrated consistent deficits in water escape performance. Mitomycin C progeny also exhibited one …

A Staff Training Program To Change Target Behaviors: Acquisition, Transfer, And Effects Of Behavior Management Training With Paraprofessionals, Patricia D. Foster

Masters Theses

This study assessed the direct and transferred effects of a training package consisting of written rules, modeling, role playing, and vocal verbal feedback on the behavior management skills of three paraprofessional staff and evaluated the resulting impact o f these techniques on the maladaptive behaviors of severely multiply impaired adults. A multiple baseline across three instructional situation types (a transition period in which staff were not assigned to a particular pupil, a group instructional session in which one staff was assigned to three pupils, and an individual instructional session in which each staff was assigned to one pupil) was utilized. …

The Effects Of Pre And Post-Performance Review Goal Setting On Subsequent Job Performance In A Human Services Setting, Christie L. Kleinhuizen

Masters Theses

Researchers investigating the effects, of performance appraisals and. goal setting techniques have focused on laboratory (rather than field) settings and/or have relied on self-report or anecdotal data to draw their conclusions. The major objectives of the present study were to examine the effects of 1) goal setting on actual job performance in a community organizational setting and 2) performance appraisals on both subsequent job performance and goals set. Two male and two female counselors in a residential treatment center served as subjects in the study which utilized a multiple baseline design. The performance of l8 repetitive administrative/custodial tasks were measured …

The Hyperactive Child And The Family: A Procedural Approach To Evaluation And Treatment, Marian Maria Sofia Van Dooijeweert

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present thesis is to evaluate the hyperactive child in a manner that true hyperactivity will not be confused with hyperactive behaviors which are caused by illnesses, stress at school, stress at home, and with normal childhood energy.

No two hyperactive children are alike. They vary in personality, problems, strengths, weaknesses, and environment. In general, hyperactive children are said to have several common characteristics such as poor performance in school, short attention spans, impulsiveness, poor motor control, low frustration levels, and an inability to delay gratification of needs and demands.

Clinical experience reveals that most hyperactive children …

The Effects Of Three Instructional Strategies On The Food Group Labeling Responses In Preschool Children, Jon Jeffery Boes

Masters Theses

This study compared three Direct Instruction procedures for teaching the labeling of food in terms of the five basic food groups (fruits, vegetables, meats, grains, and dairy products). Eighteen preschoolers served as subjects. They were randomly assigned to three experimental groups and a control group. The experimental group was assigned to one of the following instructional procedures: (1) Generative I, (2) Generative II, (3) Generative III. The sets of exercises in the procedures were taught as one track in a Direct Instruction program designed to teach nutrition knowledge. All other exercises in the program were identical for the three experimental …

A Comparison Of Hutchings' Low Stress Algorithm And Three Other Methods In Multidigit Multiplication For Calculation Speed And Accuracy, John Byron Connors

Masters Theses

High achieving fifth grade students were taught three alternate multiplication algorithms: Hutchings low stress, Gelocian lattice, and partial products (distributive algorithm using indentation). The two independent variables were the four algorithms (three alternate plus traditional) and three problem array sizes (3 x 2, 3, and 4 factors). The three dependent variables were percent accuracy, rate correct, and rate incorrect. A multi-element manipulation design across phases was used varying type of calculation procedure within sessions and type of problem array across sessions. Results showed that all three alternate algorithms were superior to the traditional algorithm on most dependent variable measures. Pre …

Cardio-Vascular Conditioning In Pre-School Children, Patricia Anne Cole

Masters Theses

The effects of a changing criteria token economy system and a self-recording procedure on the duration and accuracy of pre-school children's distance running behavior are examined. In the first study, the use of tokens contingent on gradually longer duration of running times increased the length of time children would run, to twelve minutes, a clinically significant duration. In the second study, the use of package intervention that included a self-recording device and contingent tokens increased the accuracy with which preschoolers followed directions to run a specified number of laps. Tokens alone also increased the accuracy of lap running, but not …

The Use Of Twilight Training In The Treatment Of Cigarette Smoking Behavior, John Joseph Seltenreich

Masters Theses

This study involved the application of a relatively new biofeedback training procedure known as twilight training to the treatment of cigarette smoking behavior. Twilight training is the facilitation of a state of low arousal, whereupon audio material designed to affect the health of the subject is presented. Two subjects received training, and the results showed no change in their frequency of smoking and no ability to enhance the twilight state with training. Although the amount of training received differed between the two subjects, there were no differences noted between them. Possible reasons for present results and probable changes for future …

Teaching Behavior Management Skills And Assessing Generalization To The Classroom Setting, Kathleen A. Ratchford

Masters Theses

The present study investigated the effects of written rules and videotape discrimination training on the acquisition, generalization and maintenance of behavior management skills. Three classroom aides and one special education teacher in a classroom for severely mentally impaired students were required to attain 90% mastery on a set of written rules and videotape training episodes. Data on percent correct application of behavior management techniques in the classroom setting were collected prior to and immediately following videotape discrimination training. Results indicated an increase over pretraining levels in all subjects' correct application of behavior management techniques immediately following videotape discrimination training. A …

A Study Of The Differences In And The Interrelationships Between Self-Concept, Personality Constructs, Irrationality And Social Anxiety In Two Different Populations Of Alcoholics, David D. Smith

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in self-concept, physical self-concept, personality constructs, irrationality and social anxiety in two populations of alcoholics differing in length of sobriety. The interrelationships between the aforementioned variables were also examined. Multivariate analysis of individual test means was unable to demonstrate a difference between groups. Discriminative analysis found Identity and Physical Self subscales from the Tennessee Self Concept Scale were able to discriminate between groups. The Hysteria scale from the MMPI was found to have discriminative value. Scales from the Irrational Belief Test, Body Characteristic Scale, and the social anxiety tests were …

A Report Of An Internship In The Admissions And Counseling Office At Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Constance M. Speers

Masters Theses

This paper describes an internship which was completed in the Admissions office of a community college in Michigan. A rationale for the internship is presented in Chapter I. An outline of the prospectus objectives is also included in the first chapter. Chapter II describes the experiences encountered during the internship. Administrative experiences with the associate dean of students are related, as are those involved in the accomplishment of two special projects. These projects were: To develop a career guidance program for the college, and to investigate special characteristics of applicants who never matriculated. The third chapter analyzes the internship experience …

Women In Educational Leader Positions: An Investigation Of Some Common Factors In Socialization, Educational Background, And Career Commitment, Elaine Barr Morris

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the socialization process, educational backgrounds, and career commitments of women in educational leader positions with women in education who had not attained leader positions. The possibility that differences exist in those areas that have set some women apart and have resulted in their pursuit and attainment of administrative positions was explored.

Fifteen hypotheses were constructed to investigate relationships between a woman's attainment of an administrative position and the following variables: (a) career status of her mother during her childhood, (b) childhood experiences similar to males, (c) educational level of her father, (d) …

The Relationship Of Treatment Team Interpersonal Communication To Staff To Client Relationships In A Residential Treatment Setting, Martin L. Mitchell

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the nature of the relationship between treatment team interpersonal communication and staff to client relationships in a residential treatment setting. Through the use of the Staff Environmental Survey and the Youth Environmental Survey, questions pertaining to treatment team interpersonal communication were correlated to questions pertaining to staff to client relationships.

The subjects utilized for the study were the staff and clients of The Starr Commonwealth Schools' residential treatment program located in Albion, Michigan.

The responses of subjects from 14 treatment teams were correlated to the responses of subjects from 14 groups of …

An Exploration Of The Relationship Among Rhetorical Sensitivity, Communication Apprehension, And Nonverbal Decoding Ability, Mary Aileen Palanca

Masters Theses

This study explored the potential relationship which might exist among rhetorical sensitivity, communication apprehension, and nonverbal decoding ability. Three measuring instruments, the Rhetorical Sensitivity Scale, the Personal Report of Communication Apprehension, and the Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity, were administered to 109 participants, 68 females and 41 males. Gender and age were examined to see what effect they might have on the potential relationship. No relationship was found among rhetorical sensitivity, communication apprehension, and nonverbal decoding ability. In addition, no relationship was found between gender and the three variables or between age and the three variables. However, it is important to …

Effects Of Contingency Contracting On The Academic Performance Of Special Education Students, Carolyn Marie Nock

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of contingency contracting between parent and child on improving the academic performance of three special education students, ages 14-16, enrolled in a mainstream English class. Two of the subjects had been certified as emotionally impaired, the third as learning disabled. A multiple baseline across-subjects experimental design was employed. The completion of three academic contracts per week entitled the subjects to receive a contract consequence which the parents delivered. The parents determined contract completion based on specified criteria. Academic performance was measured by grades the subjects received on homework, tests, and …

On The Effects Of Mixed Fi-Dro And Mixed Ri-Rdro Schedules On Rats' Lever Pressing, Marcelo Jose Villareal

Masters Theses

Rats' lever pressing was studied in two experiments involving mixed schedules with equivalent interval and differential-reinforcementof- other-behavior components. It was observed that temporal stimuli controlled latency times when fixed temporal criteria were used, that this control weakened as temporal criteria were increased from 3 to 7 to 15 seconds, and that it was usually weak regarding interresponse times. The mean number of lever presses per trial was likely to increase in the process, although ulterior decreases were apparent for two of the seven subjects. When random temporal criteria (approximately averaging 8 seconds) replaced fixed ones, the response rate increased. Rapid …

Western News, July 29, 1982, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Bernhard urges University community to vote, Consortium to sponsor exhibit at Crossroads, Gayl F. Werme is appointed as WMU Trustee by Gov. Milliken, Experiments held at Biomechanics Laboratory, Kuhle named new women's tennis mentor

Western News, July 22, 1982, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Foundation assets total nearly $5.4 million; Weisberg tells Trustees, Dale B. Lake; KVCC president; to receive honorary degree from WMU, Budget Reductions in Academic Affairs, Board grants Sanders emeritus status, Inflatable Light Workshop going to Austria, Typing test is scheduled for next Wednesday

Motivation And The Adolescent Reader, Anne Troy

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

We propose the integration of literary materials and the skill builders of basic reading will do much to improve the teaching of reading and the level of achievement.

Referential Questioning: A Strategy For Enhancing The Reader-Text Interaction, Karen D. Wood, John E. Readence, John A. Mateja

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

What follows is a rationale for the use of the Referential Questioning strategy. Question types are described and examples provided.

Reading Horizons Vol. 22, No. 4

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons volume 22, issue 4.

Helping Children Construct Meaning: Comprehension Strategies That Work!, Barbara Johnson

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

There has been widespread concern that students in today' s educational system are not comprehending what they read. Reading comprehension can be taught (Durkin, 1978-79; Pearson & Johnson, 1978); however, Durkin reports that almost no comprehension instruction was found in grades three through six. Less than 1% of classroom time was spent on direct instruction in reading comprehension. Durkin further reports that an adequate definition of reading comprehension instruction could not be found in research reports or other educational publications. Lack of comprehension instruction may be due to the fact that teachers have not acquired an adequate understanding of reading …

A Comparison Of Syntactic Structures In First-Graders' Oral And Written Language, Linda Lehnert

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

If an elementary program included writing activities from the beginning of first grade, migpt students' written language be as syntactically complex as their oral language? A review of the literature found no study in which a comparison of syntactic features had been made between first-graders' oral and written utterances. The purpose of the present study, therefore, was to compare the same subjects' oral and written language samples. Using T-unit analysis, 19 first-graders' oral and written language samples were compared to determine similarities and differences in specific syntactic structures.

Redundancy And Readability, Alice S. Horning

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Redundancy is, in itself something of an unknown quantity, and a number of researchers have been experimenting on it (Horning, 1979). Several years ago, H. J. Hsia, a Texas Tech communications theorist, clarified several different types of redundancy, providing important insights into the ways in which these different types of redundancy contribute to readability (Hsia, 1977). Hsia's research helps to isolate some of the unknown elements in readability, and these elements look as if they have the potential to bond neatly to the textual analysis system proposed in great detail by Walter Kintsch of the University of Colorado (Kintsch, 1974). …