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Self-Injurious Behavior: Evaluations Of Controlling Variables And Interventions, Scott Nelson Schrum

Masters Theses

A nested multi-element within a multiple baseline design was used to evaluate potential controlling variables for the self-injurious behavior (SIB) of two severely retarded seventeen-year-old boys. Both subjects had extended histories of SIB which were somewhat unresponsive to prior behavioral programming. For each subject, four variables, attention, escape from a task, sensory stimulation, and mild punishment were evaluated. Results indicated that Subject 1's SIB was controlled by the response produced stimulation. A "package" intervention which included sensory attenuation and punishment procedures was evaluated with Subject 1 and shown to significantly suppress head hitting. A controlling variable was not identified for …

A Comparison Of Behavioral Incentive Systems In A Job Search Program, Louise Smith Rogers

Masters Theses

This research involved a comparison of two approaches for implementing a point system in a job search program, using a between-groups design. The experimental group (a) received precise instructions concerning back-up contingencies, (b) attended weekly feedback sessions, and (c) graphed daily points earned. The control group did none of the above; however, they received the same initial instructions concerning performance standards and point values for behaviors. The control group's instructions included only a vague statement concerning back up contingencies, not directly relating contingencies to point values. The experimental group earned 34% more points. Due to variability in each subject's program …

The Paleoethnobotany Of The Upper Mississippi Component At The Elam Site, A Seasonal Encampment On The Lower Kalamazoo River, Kathryn E. Parachini

Masters Theses

Carbonized floral remains from the Elam site (20AE195) located on the Kalamazoo River in Allegan County, Michigan are identified and analyzed in terms of the local Upper Mississippian subsistence system. The function of Elam as a specialized activity locus in the seasonal round of a late prehistoric people is examined. Interpretations of the botanical data permit hypothetical reconstruction of vegetation and natural ecosystems in the site vicinity as they were prior to Euro-American contact. A warm weather seasonal re-occupation of several months duration is indicated, with intensive exploitation of several plant and animal resources abundant in the riverine and marsh …

A Comparison Of Calculation Speed And Accuracy On Two Levels Of Problem Difficulty Using The Conventional And Hutchings’ "Low Stress" Subtraction Algorithms And The Pocket Calculator, Margaret T. Mcglinchey

Masters Theses

This study involved a comparison of three different calculation procedures for solving two different sizes of subtraction problems. A multi-element baseline design was used with three subjects: 2 females and 1 male, whose ages were 9.6, 24, and 8.1, respectively. The calculation procedures were varied randomly within, sessions, and the problem sizes varied randomly across sessions. Dependent measures included rate correct, rate incorrect, and percent accuracy. For all subjects, the conventional algorithm was the fastest calculation procedure. Accuracy data were not as consistent, since they varied across subjects and problem array sizes. Future research in this area might involve larger …

Congruence And Development Of Beliefs And Hierarchic Position Among Institutional Mental Patients, Keith T. Handell

Masters Theses

The institutional mental patient is trained to function within the institutional setting. Relegated to the lowest organizational stratum, the inpatient adjusts his behavior accordingly. The present study was designed to find support for the contention that these institutionally induced changes are internalized. It was expected that (a) evidence of congruence between inpatients' beliefs and their organizational status would be detected, and (b) belief system change as a function of institutional experience would also be discernible. The results generally supported these main hypotheses; however, due to the nature and number of uncontrolled variables, the data are inconclusive. Alternative interpretations of these …

A Behavioral Contracting Center For High School Students: Description, Research And Analysis, William K. Redmon

Dissertations

Most psychologists and educators agree that instructional procedures are most effective when individualized. Unfortunately, most approaches to individualization require that large institutional and training changes occur. Thus, educational programs most commonly apply group methods which focus on a hypothetical "average" learner. An alternative program, called the Guided Study Project, is described. This program is designed to augment group procedures without extensive change in current methods. The Guided Study Project is a school-wide contracting center available to all students of all classes. The procedures involve the use of a daily behavioral contract and the project is managed by students who serve …

Component Analysis Of A Behavioral-Supervisory System For Masters- And Doctoral-Level Research, Michael J. Dillon

Dissertations

This project describes a structured approach to the supervision of M.A. theses and Ph.D. dissertations. The main components of this supervisory system are: weekly (a)specification of tasks and performance standards, (b)meetings with a supervisor (either faculty or doctoral student), (c)deadlines, (d)feedback, and (e)added incentives in the form of a point system to be included by the student's faculty advisor in any requested letters of recommendation. In seven experiments, the student's research performance was highest when all components of the supervisory system were present; it deteriorated as each major component was removed. Compared to more traditional supervisory approaches, this system produced …

Wmu Board Of Trustees Regular Meeting March 20, 1981, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

• Acceptance of the Agenda
• Minutes
• Correspondence
• President's Remarks
• Academic Personnel Report
• Non-Academic Personnel Report
• Gift and Grant Report
• Authorization to Confer Degrees
• Resolution re Student Housing Rates for 1981/82
• Communication Arts and Sciences Report
• Public Comments
• Adjournment

Wmu Board Of Trustees Regular Meeting March 20, 1981, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

• Acceptance of the Agenda
• Minutes
• Correspondence
• President's Remarks
• Academic Personnel Report
• Non-Academic Personnel Report
• Gift and Grant Report
• Authorization to Confer Degrees
• Resolution re Student Housing Rates for 1981/82
• Communication Arts and Sciences Report
• Public Comments
• Adjournment

Western News, March 19, 1981, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Bernhard warns about anti-intellectual coalition, NCA evaluation team to be here next week, Nobel laureate Simon to speak here next Thursday, Deadline Friday for service award names, Deadline Wednesday in search for heads of skills development; public service, Nearly 60 high schools to be represented next week, SW Michigan Vocal Festival is next Thursday

Western News, April 16, 1981, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Bernhard decries violence in observance Tuesday for Atlanta children, Dybek; Zupko get prestigious Guggenheim awards, Campus Planning Council seeks reaction to report of U Transportation Committee, Faculty and students had MASAL roles, Student art competition winners named, Elderhostels offered here in June, Stevens designated to investigate cases of alleged sexual harassment of students, Kilty will speak at July international conference

Western News, March 12, 1981, Western Michigan University

Western News (1972-2018)

Story highlights: Anonymous $500,000 gift to 'Partners in Progress', Page-Robin and Phillips to head Senate, Exxon economist to talk on energy Wednesday, Minority conference to be Saturday and Sunday, Fetzer helps Western apply for TV station to be operated here on behalf of colleges, TEL-U system begins March 16 with 110 tapes, Awareness Week has full activity schedule

Use Of Heat Pumps In Vapor Absorption Systems, Charles A. Bartocci

Paper Engineering Senior Theses

The object of this study is to compare the performance of a gas fired dryer and a dryer that utilizes a heat pump for it's source of heat. Since a heat pump was unavailable for testing, ideal models were used to simulate heat pump behavior. Two temperatures and three different humidities were tested. To simulate the different humidity conditions the solvent coater-dryer was used with a water spray device in one of the heating zones. Using a psychometric chart and wet bulb dry bulb measurements the relative humidity was determined. From the data two curves were generated. Using those curves, …

Humanism And Social Work Paradoxes, Problems, And Promises, Norman Goroff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Although social work is viewed as a human service profession, with the implicit assumption that it is humanistically oriented, an examination of some of the theoretical orientations, practice settings and practice methodology will reveal a number of paradoxes, problems, and potential promises. I do not claim to provide more than a sampling, to provide a more exhaustive analysis would require considerably more time than is available.

Applied Sociology, Social Engineering, And Human Rationality, John W. Murphy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

At this time social planning has come to be synonymous with technical forecasting. Because of this trend, the methods used by social planners are those of positive science. These methods, however, are not self-reflective, and are therefore naive about the epistemological assumptions which they inadvertantly advance. As a result of this epistemological naivete, many times the social planner is guided by methodological assumptions that are totally incongruent with the social world to which they are to be applied. This type of social forecasting is referred to as irresponsible social planning, in that it is not sensitive to the needs and …

Heritage And Politics Of Poverty And Inequality For Rural Women, Edith A. Cheitman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In the course of researching the subject of this paper I requested a computer literature search. Using sociological, economic and psychological data bases and a comprehensive list of descriptors, I was able to retrieve only five references. Of those, only one was of significant value to me in dealing with the specific issues involved in the oppression of rural American women.

The paucity of material available through so-called "legitimate" channels was, for me, a telling point. The worst kind of oppression and inequality occurs to groups that are, in effect, "invisible". If no one has identified rural women as an …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 8, No. 1 (March 1981)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

• Humanism and Social Work Paradoxes, Problems, and Promise - NORMAN GOROFF
• Applied Sociology, Social Engineering, and Human Rationality - JOHN W. MURPHY
• Heritage and Politics of Poverty and Inequality for Rural Women - EDITH A. CHEITMAN
• Social Welfare: Context for Social Control - PHYLLIS J. DAY
• Social Values in Social Work: A Developmental Model - DAVID BARGAL
• Social Work Response to Problems of Occupational Health - JOANNE JANKOVIC & DAVID DOTSON
• Welfare Reform and the Possible Demise of White Paternalism and Black Flight in Mississippi - LEWIS WALKER & CHESTER L. HUNT
• Child Health and Developmental Problems …

Social Work Response To Problems Of Occupational Health, Joanne Jankovic, David Dotson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An emerging area of concern for social work professionals is occupational safety and health. This article explores problems of the workplace with a specific focus on Brown Lung disease, or byssinosis. The authors present a model for field practice whereby students develop skills in organization, self-help group development and systems change strategies, thereby moving from a traditional methods model of practice to one that is focused on social problems.

Making It Legal: A Comparison Of Previously Cohabiting And Engaged Newlyweds, Ingrid Moeller, Basil J. Sherlock

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In view of the recent emergence of cohabitation as an alternative form of courtship, it is important to determine its possible effects on the subsequent marital union. Are the premarital experiences, marital goals, patterns of marital power and levels of conflict discernably different for those who have lived together before marriage? Comparing cohabitors with noncohabitors , we attempted to pursue this question in a sample of 139 recently married, nonparental, college matriculating, young adults using a lengthy focused interview.

Largely due to parental pressures "to make it legal", both cohabitors and noncohabitors moved towards matrimony with equal speed, marrying at …

Poor Urban Blacks And Community Participation, Charles Stevens

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This research elaborates the concept of community participation utilizing activities that reflect the experiences of poor urban Blacks. The residents of a low income housing development are studied with emphasis on how these people involved themselves in community affairs and how they interact with other tenants in their day to day activities. It is largely a descriptive study, in that it attempts to uncover and explain styles of participation that are not generally counted as meaningful participation. Therefore criteria for participation is defined in a manner to include some informal activities and other activities which seem to correspond to the …

Boom Town Victims: Social Work's Latest Clients, Joseph Davenport Iii, Judith Ann Davenport

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The current energy crisis appears to be presenting social work with a new breed of client as the profession moves into the decade of the 1980's. This new clientele - the boom town victim - may be an individual, a group, an entire community or even a geographical region. Accordingly, an effective response to these victims may well require the entire repetoire of social work's helping functions (e.g., clinical, research, community organization, social planning, social action, policy formulation). Since the energy crisis gives every indication of not only continuing, but intensifying, it behooves the social work profession to devote more …

Tommy - The Story Of An Oppressed Family, Karen N. Bianco

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Tommy was unhappy. He loved his Mommy and Daddy, but he thought that they didn't love him. Everytime he walked into a room where his Mommy and Daddy were, they would yell at him. Tommy didn't pick up his dirty clothes. Tommy didn't feed his dog. Tommy tore his dungarees. Tommy wasn't nice to his baby sister.

The Changing Family And Family Policy, Ronald J. Mancoske

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The concern for the loss of family functions ii, the process of social change has led some to call for a family policy to support the family to cope with stress in meeting its basic functions. Change in functioning of the family is inclusive of various spheres: economic, status giving, educational, religious, recreational, protective and affectional. These changes are seen as indicative of the decline in the family. This view is moderated by the spectrum of change in the family interactions. Support for family policy is essential though it can not be developed on the idea of the perilous decline …

Social Welfare: Context For Social Control, Phyllis J. Day

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Because human service professionals are uncritical concerning the latent functions of their organizations they may be unaware of their power as agents for social control. The paper discusses values, attitudes, and education supportive of such control, the permeation of social programs into heretofore private areas of human life, the power inherent in new techniques of social persuasion, and the centralization of that power because of expanded government funding and accountability requirements. As public assistance programs contain civil disorder among the poor, so other social welfare programs insure conformity and control the alienated of all levels of society.

Social Values In Social Work: A Developmental Model, David Bargal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The article suggests a five stage model which describes the development of social values in the socialization to social work and other human service professions. The five stages of development include the following: antecedent factors, anticipatory socialization, professional training period, performance in a professional organization and the crystalization of a professional worldview. The main thrust of the paper is the idea that the professional person develops himelf for a very long time before reaching professional maturity. This development represents a constant dialogue between the persons background factors needs and motives and the institutional and organizational contexts he encounters in his …

Welfare Reform And The Possible Demise Of White Paternalism And Black Flight In Mississippi, Lewis Walker, Chester L. Hunt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article makes an assessment of the possible impact of welfare reform on families currently receiving AFDC payments. An analysis of the data on variations in AFDC monthly payments, the per capital income and AFDC grants, and other selected factors for Mississippi, Nebraska, and New York suggests that the effects of federalization on welfare would indeed be far-reaching. For example, it would increase the economic level of Black mothers and children living in Mississippi (state with the lowest monthly payment), and possibly at the same time decrease the flow of Black emigration from that state.

Child Health And Developmental Problems And Child Maltreatment Among Afdc Families, Isabel Wolock

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper explores the complex interrelationship among the physical health and developmental problems of a child, child abuse and neglect, and poverty. Gaps in agency attention to children's medical needs are identified and recommendations made for reducing these gaps. The analysis is based on interview and agency data for 45 families randomly selected from a group of 365 AFDC recipient families under supervision for child abuse and neglect.

Community Service Opportunities And Older Americans, Zev Harel, Ruth Ellen Lindenberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Contemporary society has brought about a situation where older Americans have limited opportunities for contributory roles. They have limited involvement in the development and provision of services aimed to promote their own well-being and the welfare and well-being of others. This article examines the importance of contributory roles and functions in light of theoretical perspectives, social work values, and research evidence which indicates that life satisfaction and psychological well being of older persons is related to continued productivity and the opportunity to carry substantive social roles. This article reviews and discusses contributory opportunities for older persons as part of community …

The Price Of Unemployment And Inflation And Who Pays, Michael Borrero

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Since the early 1960's many economists and policy makers have contended that full employment and price stability are unattainable goals. Stimulated by the works of A. W. Phillips, a British economist, they have argued that there is an inverse relationship between inflation and unemployment; that is, as unemployment decreases, inflation increases. Phillips in his original article, "The Relationship between Unemployment and the Rate of Change in Money Wage Rates in the United Kingdom,"1 cautiously reasoned that when demand for commodities, services or labor was high relative to supply, prices increase. Increasing prices for labor draw out unemployed people into the …

Factors Distinguishing Urban And Rural State Mental Hospital Patients In Florida, Elane M. Nuehring, Robert A. Ladner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study compares the patients of two state mental hospitals, one serving an urban region, the other a rural district. The purpose is to explore urban and rural patient differences on background, hospital history and experience, post-release living situation, use of community mental health services, and postrelease functioning. A summary attempt to distinguish urban from rural patients using discriminant function analysis established that rural-urban differences exist in symptom manifestation, the patient's personal and social environment, and institutional processing patterns. These patient differences have implications for the development of aftercare services.