Digital Commons Network^™

An Extension To The Avc Discrimination Test By The Addition Of One Level Above Avc Level Vi, Charles P. Butler

Dissertations

Kerr, Meyerson and Flora (1977) devised a series of six small learning tasks that could be used to assess developmentally disabled individuals on the typical tasks to be performed in a school setting or sheltered workshop and required very simple equipment. The tasks were imitation, position discrimination, visual discrimination, match-to sample, auditory discrimination and combined auditory visual discrimination. Davinc (1990) suggested that there may be transitional skills between AVC levels IV and V not found by Kerr et al. Davine (1990), Wilson (1991) and Buder (1992) devised a series of experimental tasks designed to test this notion. All used nonidentity …

The Effects Of A Monetary Bonus And Penalty On The Performance Of A Simple Monitoring Task, Gordon Henry

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of three different pay systems on human monitoring performance. With increasing automation, monitoring tasks are becoming increasingly common, but methods of compensation that will promote good performance remain unexamined. Although hourly pay is typically used, data suggest that contingent pay may be more effective in motivating high levels of performance.

In the current study, six undergraduate students, four females and two males ranging in age from 19 to 21 years, performed a monitoring task analogous to one performed by a security guard. Specifically, subjects observed a television screen and …

The Effects Of Systems-Centered Versus Individual-Centered Training On The Analysis Of Organizational Problems, Jane E. Devries

Dissertations

This study analyzed the effects of systems-centered (S) training, individual centered (I) training, and no formal training (C) on the ability to identify organizational problems. Three groups of 10-14 undergraduates participated. Subjects completed a pre-test that required analysis of 10 one-page vignettes describing some type of organizational problem. Each participant rated the quality of the vignettes to assess the amount of critical information presented, and identified the organizational problem, the rationale for targeting the problem, and questions that should be asked of the management to obtain more information. Groups S and I received six hours of systems-centered training or individual …

The Writing Response In Studies Of Topography-Based And Selection-Based Verbal Behavior, Osborn Cresson

Dissertations

The position taken in this paper is that the observable world is the only one needed in our analysis, that behavior is a reaction to the environments in which it occurs, and that language is more behavior that can be studied effectively as a dependent variable that varies as a function of independent variables manipulated by the experimenter.

Our goal was to study topography-based and selection-based verbal behavior with emphasis on the writing response and then to produce a report that would serve as a guide for other students of behavior and environment.

Sixteen undergraduate college students participated in 115 …

The Effects Of A Problem-Solving And Imagery-Based Suggestion On Analgesic Responding In Low, Medium, And High Hypnotizable Females, Gloria Haddad Taggett

Dissertations

This study assessed the effects of a problem-solving suggestion as compared with an imagery-based suggestion on analgesic responding in subjects scoring in the low, medium, and high ranges on scales of hypnotizability. Subjects were exposed at separate intervals to either an hypnotic suggestion patter containing specific imagery designed to enhance analgesic performance, or alternatively to a suggestion patter that provided only general problem-solving direction, but contained no specific imaginal guidance. Performance was assessed using two duration measures on a cold-pressor test. Specific measures included both the total time duration a subject held the target hand in cold water (tolerance) as …

Hiv Prevention And Heterosexual College Students: The Impact Of Video Instruction On The "Safer" Sexual Behaviors Of Sexually Active Men, Cheryl L. Knight

Dissertations

Despite increasing evidence of the heterosexual transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among young adults, research with college students has been primarily restricted to descriptions of the levels of risky behavior and the correlates of that behavior. To date, few experimentally validated HIV prevention programs have been reported. Furthermore, the existing experimental investigations have seldom based an intervention on a thorough analysis of the barriers to the practice of safer sex.

Experiment One surveyed 195 heterosexual college students to assess HIV risk factors, including sexual behavior, risk perception, knowledge and 10 barriers to the consistent practice of "safer" sex. …

Effects Of Caffeine Consumption On Cardiovascular Indices, Attention, Task Performance, And Memory Retention In Children, Suzanne L. Keller

Dissertations

Caffeine is one of the most commonly used drugs in the western world today. Average intake of caffeine in the United States has been estimated at greater than 200 mg daily per person. Although plagued by inconsistencies, and methodological problems, research suggests that this level of caffeine ingestion may have significant effects on cardiovascular functioning, and behavioral processes such as attention, cognitive processing, memory, and task performance.

Although children consume significant quantities of caffeine, very little research has been done on the effects of caffeine in children. The limited findings suggest that caffeine consumption may affect the cognitive and behavioral …

Women In Public School Administration: Factors That Facilitate Attainment, Betty Newlin Lapointe

Dissertations

The educational system in the United States, although staffed by an equal proportion of men and women in teaching roles, is administered predominantly by men. Women are represented in fewer than 5% of our nation’s schools in the role of superintendent, and only 10% of the high schools are administered by women principals.

The purpose of this study was to expand the research on the factors that facilitate the attainment of key leadership positions for women within the public school, and to determine differences in access between the positions of secondary principal and superintendent.

A total of 78 female administrators, …

An Exploration Of Students’ And Business Persons’ Ratings Of The Importance Of Writing Skills For Business Success, Miriam P. Coleman

Dissertations

The central question explored in this research was whether the perceptions of undergraduate students and business employers about the importance of writing skills for success in business differ from one another. Related questions were posed about the relationship of certain individual characteristics such as sex, student classification, and student institutional affiliation and their interactions to these perceptions.

Subjects were selected from both public and private institutions of higher education and 11 medium-sized businesses in western Michigan. Data collection was accomplished using two 30-item Likert-type Importance of Business Writing (IBW) questionnaires developed for obtaining information on the perceptions of subjects relative …

Academic Self-Esteem Of Michigan High School Students, Dolores J. Howe

Dissertations

In this study, relationships among academic self-esteem, teacher/student relationships, school climate, students' level of involvement in school activities, and size of school were analyzed.

Sixteen lower Michigan high schools were randomly selected, 12 with a population of 200-500 and 4 with a population of 1,500-2,000. One class each of 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades, representing a wide range of ability levels, were chosen from each school, for a total of 64 classrooms containing 1,319 students. Brookover’s (1962) Self-Concept of Ability Scale, the author's Academic Self-Esteem Inventory, and the National Association of Secondary School Principals School Climate Survey (Kelley et …

A Comparison Of Teacher Attitudes Based Upon Their Involvement In Various Levels Of Staff Development, James Lehto

Dissertations

This study sought to measure the relationship between teacher attitude and involvement in staff development. It was conducted as a follow-up to a recent implementation and audit of educational standards in the state of Wisconsin and focused upon the results of Standard B for Staff Development. The study compared the attitudes of teachers based upon their involvement in various levels of staff development, which were determined through the audit process.

Previous literature described in the report focused upon the background of state educational standards as well as previous studies which attempted to assess employee attitudes and staff development. In both …

Algorithms In Fault-Tolerant Clos Networks, Hyunyeop Lee

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Theoretical Evaluation Of The Break Off Test For Concrete, Arjuna Priyara Ranasinghe

Dissertations

Strength of concrete is normally measured using the standard cylinder or cube. The measured strength is used for design. The accuracy of concrete strength is frequently challenged, particularly in large concrete structures where size effect of the test specimens is attributed for the differences. Many nondestructive tests were developed to evaluate concrete strengths. In recent years, it was obvious that these tests are unreliable. As the infrastructure decays, more nondestructive tests are required to evaluate the existing structures.

The Break Off Test is a recently developed nondestructive test. Although substantial amount of experimental investigations have been carried out on this …

Hydrogeology And Hydrogeochemistry Of Government Marsh, North St. Joseph County, Michigan, Michael C. Kasenow

Dissertations

A hydrogeologic and hydrogeochemical investigation was conducted at Government Marsh located in St. Joseph County, Michigan from May, 1988, to November, 1993. Information on glacial geology, topography, drainage patterns, hydraulic conductivity, vegetation, water chemistry, and static water table elevations has been collected and analyzed. Data were collected in order to determine directions of ground water flow and areas of recharge and discharge. Bail-down tests, grain-size analysis, and permeameters were used to determine hydraulic conductivity adjacent to and within the wetland. Water table elevations and chemistry were analyzed from wells adjacent to the wetland perimeter and within the boundaries of the …

Preservice Elementary Education Students’ Beliefs Regarding The Teaching And Learning Of Mathematics, Elsa L. Geskus

Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes the entering and exiting beliefs of preservice elementary education students in three domains. The domains are: (1) the nature of teaching mathematics, (2) the nature of learning mathematics, and (3) the nature of the underlying source of their success or failure in mathematics. The data collection for this study was comprised of two questionnaires. The first questionnaire with 72 items used a five point Iikert scale. The second questionnaire took 10 of the Iikert items and formatted them as an open-ended response questionnaire. Students were to respond favorably or negatively to the statements and provide support for …

The Effects Of Regular Aerobic Exercise On Sexual Desire In Women, Joanne Louise Kolean-Burley

Dissertations

A multiple baseline design across subjects was used to evaluate the effects of an 8-week aerobic walking program on sexual desire in 7 previously sedentary married women who met the DSM-III-R criteria for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD). Sexual desire was assessed on a weekly basis through a 6 to 9-week baseline period and the 8-week walking intervention using the Self-Acceptance and Mate- Acceptance subscales of the Sexual Interaction Inventory (SII) (LoPiccolo & Steger, 1974), the Sexual Activity Form, developed for this study to measure the frequency of female sexual initiation and responsivity, a behavioral counter and the Sexual Thoughts …

Nutrition, Fitness, Stress And Genital Herpes Recurrences, Carman E. Stark

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to extend the existing literature by assessing the relationship between several factors separately and combined, nutrition, fitness and stress, and herpes recurrence rates. It was hypothesized that the results from this study would indicate an inverse correlation between nutrition, fitness, and genital herpes recurrence rates and a positive correlation between stress and genital herpes. Each participant was asked to complete and return (a) two Computerized Nutrition Assessment Forms that provide a health history profile and a record of food choices and portions over two, three-day periods; (b) The Hassle Scale that provides a weekly …

A Study Of Retention Intervention Programs Used In Rural Michigan Schools, Randall E. Busscher

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

A Study In Correctional Leadership And Conflict Within The Informal Organization Of A Correctional Setting: A Paradigm Shift In Correctional Treatment, Francis L. Crowe

Dissertations

This research was designed to achieve two purposes. First, it ascertained what modes were preferred by inmates to resolve conflict in a correctional setting as measured on the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument. Second, it measured whether participation in a 12-hour, conflict resolution, cognitive treatment program would significantly change the inmate’s ability to handle conflict in a more positive manner.

There were three major components to this research. First, a group of 66 inmates from the Kent County Correctional Facility Honor Camp in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was tested using the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Resolution Mode Instrument. Second, using randomization, the participants were …

Sensitivity Of The Comp Objective Test To Structural Differences Among General Education Programs In Liberal Arts Colleges And Comprehensive Universities, Christine Ann Brooks

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of the College Outcome Measures Program (COMP) by determining if COMP is sensitive to differences among general education programs.

Two variables provided the operationalization of general education: (1) degree of institutional control over general education course selection, and (2) percent of total coursework devoted to general education. To control for additional factors known to impact upon students' learning during college, four concomitant variables were used in the analysis. These variables were selected following a review of the literature on the effects of college. The level of analysis was the institution; …

Relationships Among Job Satisfaction, Productivity, And Supervision Provided To Financial Planners, Larry Leslie

Dissertations

This study examined job satisfaction and appraisals of management actions as they related to sales productivity for financial planners. Planners from three Midwestern divisions of a national brokerage firm comprised the non-random sample (n = 89, out o f 137 potential participants, for a response rate of 65%). The planners completed two surveys: (1) Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (long form, 1967 revision) for obtaining job satisfaction data; and (2) The PROFILOR™, from Personnel Decisions, Inc., for determining planner appraisals of their immediate superior’s leadership actions. Productivity information, using two different measures (one related to sales of financial products, the other related …

Identification Of Effective Classroom Management Practices Among Teachers In Elementary Special Education Computer-Use Classrooms, Stephanie L. Kenney

Dissertations

Increased use of computers in elementary special education classrooms has created the need for a model for the management of such computer-use environments. Using the case study format, this study (a) identified and described, through multiple observations of eight elementary special education teachers over a 3-month period, the classroom management strategies computer-using teachers utilized to foster student on-task behavior; (b) provided rich descriptions of the contexts in which these classroom management practices occurred; (c) provided insight into the teachers’ philosophies regarding computer use and management; and (d) examined relationships among teachers' computer experience and training and their classroom management practices …

A Clinical Trials Evaluation Of A Double-Blinded Protocol To Assess The Therapeutic Effectiveness Of Stimulant Medication Prescribed For Children Diagnosed Adhd, Ann V. Thompson

Dissertations

This clinical trials investigation developed and evaluated a protocol for determining the therapeutic effectiveness of medication prescribed for children diagnosed ADHD. The protocol included two separate baseline periods of two week durations, each of which were followed by four randomly assigned probes of one week duration, consisting either of Methylphenidate or placebo capsules. Baseline probes were unblinded, but medication and placebo probe trials were double-blinded. Therapeutic effect, expectancies, and integrity of the double-blind control were assessed through a battery of rating scales and forms completed by the parent, teacher and child at the end of each protocol week, including baseline …

Reducing Dietary Fat And Cholesterol Consumption: An Evaluation Of A Behaviorally Focused Nutrition Education Program, Peter F. Carey

Dissertations

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing more than 500,000 people annually. Serum cholesterol is a principal risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis, a primary precipitant of CHD. Unfortunately, elevated serum cholesterol is a common but often undetected health risk for many Americans. Furthermore, the typical American diet contains high levels of fat and cholesterol which contribute to elevated serum cholesterol levels. The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), created to improve awareness of serum cholesterol as a CHD risk factor, recommends that dietary changes constitute the initial step in the treatment …

Promising Practices: Perspectives Of Junior And Senior High At-Risk Students, Janet Dalman

Dissertations

This dissertation examined the “fit of school and Me” from at-risk students’ perspectives. The purpose of the study was to gain insight into at-risk students’ views on what school elements were necessary and helpful in their achieving success, in their seeing hope, and in their choosing to remain in school.

Promising practices of affective/nurturing and cognitive/learning gleaned from the literature review of success producing school components were examined within the context of most favorite and least favorite classrooms during focus group interviews with junior high school and senior high school at-risk and non-at-risk students. Students were asked to compare and …

A Study Of Leadership Behaviors Of Principals In Schools Which Educate Students With Moderate And Severe Disabilities In Regular Education Classrooms, Patreese Ingram

Dissertations

The full-time inclusion of disabled students in regular education classrooms on a full-time basis is an emerging practice in schools across the United States and other countries (Stainback & Stainback, 1992). In school systems which have traditionally educated disabled and nondisabled students in separate classrooms, the principal is increasingly recognized as ,"... being the one individual above all others who is of critical importance in creating an effective school" (Ubben & Hughes, 1992, p. 19).

Therefore, this study investigated the principal’s leadership behavior in schools which educate moderately and severely disabled students in regular education classrooms on a full-time basis. …

Faculty Development Programs And Evaluation In American Colleges And Universities, Antonio Nicolas Rubino

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to determine (a) the importance and frequency of offering of personal, instructional, curriculum, research, academic advising, and organizational development programs in universities and colleges in the United States; and (b) the types and times of evaluation of faculty development practices. Types of evaluation studied included measuring participant satisfaction, participant learning, on the- job behavior, and organizational effects. Times of evaluation included during the implementation of the practice, evaluation immediately after the implementation, and evaluation a month or more after the implementation.

A sample of 195 faculty developers from research, doctorate-granting, and comprehensive universities, and …

Particle Dynamics Modeling Of Vibrating Granular Beds, Yidan Lan

Dissertations

Particle dynamics modeling is done to study the behavior of granular beds subjected to vibrations imposed by a plane boundary which oscillates sinusoidally about a zero mean speed. Significant differences between the lower and higher shaking acceleration regions are found for the granular temperature and solids fraction depth profiles, which characterize the effectiveness of the boundary in fluidizing the beds. When higher accelerations are applied, the temperature is maximum at the vibrating floor and attenuates through the depth, while the solids fraction profiles exhibit a maximum at some intermediate depth. At lower acceleration values, most of the mass is located …

Oxidation Of Pollutants In A Batch Recirculation Bioreactor With Immobilized Microorganisms, Jongtai Jung

Dissertations

The purpose of this work was to study bio-oxidative destruction of several substrates in an immobilized cell batch bioreactor in recirculation configuration. This system was used in three cases: a series of substrates usually used as monomers, ethylene glycol and its tetramer, and phenol under magnetic irradiation. In addition, kinetic studies were performed and experimental versus predicted results compared.

The substances styrene, methyl methacrylate (MMA), and β-hydroxybutyric acid (HBA), common monomers, were biologically treated using an acclimated mixed microbial community immobilized in calcium alginate gel. A comparison of biodegradation rates (3.3, 9.4, and 15 ppm/hr for styrene, MMA, and HBA, …

Motion Estimation Using Optical Flow Field, Jingning Pan

Dissertations

Over the last decade, many low-level vision algorithms have been devised for extracting depth from intensity images. Most of them are based on motion of the rigid observer. Translation and rotation are constants with respect to space coordinates. When multi-objects move and/or the objects change shape, the algorithms cannot be used.

In this dissertation, we develop a new robust framework for the determination of dense 3-D position and motion fields from a stereo image sequence. The framework is based on unified optical flow field (UOFF). In the UOFF approach, a four frame mode is used to compute six dense 3-D …