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The Effectiveness Of Hypnotherapy And Behavioral Coaching In Improving Medical Compliance, Altering Locus Of Control, And Lowering Anxiety Among Externally-Oriented, Noncompliant Hemodialysis Patients, Michael Tobin

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Factors Related To Discontinuation At Several Phases Of Clinic Contact, Barry Richard Lindstrom

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Ethnographic Investigation Of The Self-Esteem And Occupational Aspirations Of Hispanic Students Within The Context Of An Urban Junior College, Ines M. Bocanegra Gordon

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Clinical Appraisal Method Of Evaluating Candidates For Management Positions: A Construct Validity Study, Loretta Postillion Van Der Plas

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of The Adolescent Sibling Bereavement Process And Adaptation, Nancy Schildberg Hogan

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Intuitive Dimension Of The Therapist's Consciousness: A New Paradigm, Bonnie Marie Truax

Dissertations

The major purpose of this study was the examination of the incidence and nature of the intuitions of therapists. A secondary purpose was to create and evaluate an alternative approach to the study of human subjective experience. The research was completed in three phases.

Phase 1 involved creating a paradigm about intuition based on historical perspectives and viewpoints. Sixteen basic theoretical constructs about intuition were developed following an extensive synthesis and integration of philosophic and psychological literature.

In Phase 2, the paradigm was evaluated using the constant comparative method of qualitative analysis, which allows for the continual emergence of new …

Behavioral Toxicology Of A Glucocorticoid: Analysis Of Selected Behavioral And Physiological Effects Of Repeated Prednisolone Treatment, Robert G. Sewell

Dissertations

Glucocorticoids are used medicinally for numerous chronic ailments. While dramatically effective, glucocorticoid treatment is replete with psychiatric complications. The behavioral toxicology of glucocorticoids, however, remains relatively unexplored. Therefore, 13 laboratory studies were performed to analyze the influence of prednisolone, a representative glucocorticoid, upon varied behavioral and physiological endpoints in rats. Experiments 1-3 showed prednisolone to produce marked hypodipsia, body weight loss, selective adrenal gland atrophy, hyperactivity, hyperalgesia, altered grasping responses, hyperglycemia, enhanced predation, and conditioned taste aversion. Most of these findings were directly dependent upon dose, and where explored, number of treatments. The remaining ten studies examined both acute and …

Reinforcement Increases The Strength Of An Elicited Response, Michael D. Peters

Dissertations

A response initially produced by noncontigent fixed-time delivery of brief electric shock was strengthened by reinforcement. Following the fixed-time shock baseline condition, response contingent shock absence (avoidance) was programmed for the lower probability of two response options for one group of squirrel monkeys. For the other group the interposed history was variable-interval food reinforcement. When responding was reliably maintained reinforcement was discontinued and a return made to fixed-time shock conditions as programmed prior to reinforcement. Upon a return to original conditions, rates were substantially elevated over baseline with the elevation sustained for many sessions. The avoidance group showed the most …

The Feature-Value Effect In Children; An Attempt To Replicate And Further Experimentation, Kathleen Wright

Dissertations

In the "feature-value effect" faster acquisition occurs when a distinguishing feature is placed on the correct stimulus (S+) during discrimination training than when the distinguishing feature is placed on the incorrect stimulus (S-). The former is a "feature positive" discrimination task, whereas the latter is a "feature negative" discrimination task. The feature-value effect only occurs when the discrimination involves stimuli that are identical except for one distinguishing feature. The effect has been obtained in a number of nonhuman species as well as in children and adult humans. Experiments 1 and 2 failed to replicate the findings of previous experiments with …

Diagnosis Of Dyslexia: The Utility Of The Boder Test Of Reading-Spelling Patterns, A Representative Case Study Approach, Donna Montei

Dissertations

The first purpose of the dissertation was to study the relationship between Boder test diagnosis (dysphonetic dyslexia) and hemisphere arousal with a representative subject. The relationship between standard methods of diagnosis and Boder diagnosis was studied with five additional subjects. The "dysphonetic" subject was measured with electroencephalogram biofeedback equipment and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) and demonstrated higher arousal in the left hemisphere than the right hemisphere. Four of the five other subjects were diagnosed differently by the Boder test from diagnoses obtained through standard psychological test batteries. The results suggest that the Boder typology constructs may be …

Differences In Typology Among Nurses At Different Levels Of Management In Acute Care Institutions As Measured By The Mbti, Catherine Marie Devet

Dissertations

This survey research study explored differences in personality types between staff nurses and nurse managers in acute care institutions (hospitals). The study tested a theory about expected differences which was based on an extensive literature review of nursing administration and type theory as developed by Jung and measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

Eight acute care institutions were selected randomly from hospitals listed by the American Hospital Association (1983) as having 400-600 beds and located in the state of Michigan but outside of Wayne County. Of the eight hospitals approached, permission to conduct the study was obtained in five. …

The Relationship Between Nonsupervisory Employees' Self-Assessment Of Their Supervisory Skills And The Amount Of Satisfaction They Believe They Would Receive From Being A Supervisor, Arthur W. Hoffman

Dissertations

This descriptive study investigated the relationship between perceived supervisory effectiveness (competence) and perceived supervisory satisfaction for nonsupervisory professional-technical employees who may aspire to supervisory positions. The study participants are employees of a large industrial company engaged in the engineering and manufacturing of diversified products for the automotive industry. Specifically, the study attempted to (a) collect employee selfassessment data regarding the employee's perceived supervisory job effectiveness and perceived job satisfaction, (b) determine whether a relationship existed between perceived supervisory effectiveness and satisfaction, and (c) determine if the employee's age and educational level were influencing factors.

In order to investigate the relationship …

Training Behavioral Assessment Interviewers: A Comparison Of Two Procedures, Raymond G. Miltenberger

Dissertations

Two procedures were used to teach behavioral assessment interviewing skills; a training manual and a one-to-one training procedure consisting of instructions, modeling, rehearsal and feedback. Four subjects, two graduate students and two seniors, were trained with each procedure. Interviewing skills were recorded in simulated assessment interviews conducted by each subject across baseline and treatment conditions. Each training procedure was evaluated in a multiple baseline across subjects design. The results showed that both procedures were equally effective for training behavioral interviewing skills, with all subjects reaching a level of 90-100% correct responding. Finally, a group of experts in behavior analysis rated …

The Effect Of Medicaid Billing On Service To Developmentally Disabled Adults, Kambiz Alavi

Dissertations

This study provides a detailed analysis of the daily service delivery records before and after the introduction of a Medicaid Billing Form at a day-activity center for developmentally disabled adults. The form required therapists to record daily service delivery (in 15-minute units) to Medicaid eligible clients. There were 38 clients, 23 Medicaid and 15 non-Medicaid, and four therapists. The data showed, for three of the four therapists, a clear and large increase in reported service delivery to Medicaid clients and a smaller increase to non-Medicaid clients. Six months after the introduction of the Medicaid Billing Form the therapists were required …

The Development And Evaluation Of An Educational Therapeutic Group Procedure To Assist Preadolescent Children To Process Parental Divorce, Donna K. Prins

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate an educational therapeutic group procedure to assist preadolescent children to understand and assimilate the process of parental divorce.

The group procedure is a short term therapeutic approach which focused on general problems experienced by children processing parental divorce. A prestructured format was developed, and the entire procedure was designed to occur in a small group setting.

The major goal of the study, developing the group procedure Things Have Changed At My House, was accomplished. The complete text of the procedure is contained in the appendix of the dissertation.

Both process …

The Rorschach As A Diagnostic Aid In Differentiating The Bipolar Affective Disorder From The Schizophrenic Disorder, Stephen James Newman

Dissertations

Misdiagnosis of the bipolar affective disorder (manic type) has profound consequences Including prescription of counterproductive medication, non-aggressive treatment approaches, extended hospitalizations, and poor prognosis (Fleve, 1975). Misdiagnosis Is extensive and has resulted from the tendency to over diagnose schizophrenia (Fleve, 1975), the tendency to equate psychotic symptomatology with schizophrenia (Garvey & Tuason, 1980), the similarity of psychotic symptomatology of the bipolar affective and schizophrenic disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 1980), past confusion regarding diagnostic criteria of the bipolar affective disorder (Spltzer, Williams, & Wynne, 1983), and the absence of psychometric tools to differentiate the bipolar affective and schizophrenic disorders.

The purposes …

Personality Predictors Of Academic Success In Underachieving First Year College Students, Carolyn Wilson-Garrison

Dissertations

In this study, the role of nonintellective variables as predictors of academic success in underachieving first year college students was explored. Traditional predictors of college grades, high school grade point average and standardized scores on the American College Testing examination (ACT), were also examined.

The purpose of this study was to assess whether college grades at the end of the first year would differ according to underachieving students' personality styles, expressed concerns, and behavioral correlates thereby offering the possibility that such nonintellective factors may be useful in the prediction of grades.

The sample was a randomly selected group of eighty-seven …

Beyond Contingency Theory: Environment, Structure, And Administrator's Coping Ability In The Public Sector, Shyu-Tu Lee

Dissertations

In the last two decades, organizational-environment contingency theory has attracted much attention. A great deal of research has been done on investigating the impact of environment on organizations, suggesting the appropriate design of organizational structure. In recent years, organizational theorists have moved to investigate proactive approaches to organizational environments.

Most empirical studies, however, have been conducted in the private sector. In order to transfer the knowledge to the public sector, it is necessary to investigate whether public organizations are also subjected to environmental influence and how public administrators interact with the environment.

This study investigated the following three questions: (1) …

The Effects Of Symbolic Modeling And Parent Training On Noncompliance In Hyperactive Children, George Kahle Henry

Dissertations

This study examined the interactions of mothers with their hyperactive children during a structured-task period to determine the effects of a symbolic modeling and parent training intervention on child noncompliance. Analysis of videotaped sequences across all phases of the study indicated that symbolic modeling was not a very effective technique for improving compliance in hyperactive children. Phase one of parent training, which taught mothers appropriate attending, ignoring, and rewarding behaviors, was more effective than symbolic modeling. Phase two of parent training, which introduced a time-out contingency for noncompliance, was the most effective intervention as it resulted in significant reductions in …

Reducing Emg And Cardiovascular Reactivity With Cue-Controlled Relaxation, Janel Kay Harris

Dissertations

The present study compared cue-controlled relaxation (CCR) to progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) as possible methods of reducing reactivity to active stressors (math and anagram tasks). The CCR training entailed practicing relaxation during exposure to the active stressors, while the PMR training did not. Ten cardiac rehabilitation patients served in an experiment which used a repeated-measures ANOVA to assess changes in frontal EMG, skin conductance level (SCL), systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, and pulse-rate reactivity across three experimental conditions. These were: baseline, progressive muscle relaxation, and cue-controlled relaxation. The results indicated that CCR led to reduced EMG, SBP, and …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Premorbid Personality And Depression, William Essenburg

Dissertations

Depression is a significant mental health problem and has been studied extensively for decades. However, there is still disagreement among clinicians and researchers regarding the causes and psychodynamic processes of depression.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between premorbid personality and depression. Using the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) and the Beck Depression Inventory, personality and depression measures were obtained from a sample of adult psychiatric inpatients during acute and remission phases of their hospitalization.

Results obtained indicated that the MCMI scales intended to measure premorbid personality during periods of acute psychiatric illness were sensitive to …

The Effects Of Reward And Reinforcement On Intrinsic Interest, Alyce Muzette Dickinson

Dissertations

Under certain circumstances, rewarding individuals for performing a task that they enjoy may decrease their subsequent interest in that activity when rewards are no longer available. Decreased task interest is not, however, an inevitable outcome of reward and the subsequent termination of reward. This study investigated one variable that may influence whether task interest will increase or decrease following reward termination: the degree to which the reward is reinforcing. The study also examined how long post-reward performance changes persisted when they occurred.

A multiple-trial, within-subject comparison design was employed in which three reward phases were alternated with post-reward phases. Two …

The Use Of An Incentive System To Increase Worker Performance In A Financial Setting, Steven S. Armstrong

Dissertations

The use of merchandise as a consequence in a performance based incentive system was assessed in a financial setting. Points were earned by each subject based on individual daily performance. These points were collected by each subject and used toward the purchase of merchandise. A multiple baseline across two groups of bank tellers showed substantial increases in worker behavior after the onset of contingent points. Differences between groups existed and an analysis is provided. Follow-up data revealed sustained performance and a cost-benefit analysis demonstrated substantial savings.

Peer Influence: A Method To Help Manage Stress, Ronald Cameron Zurcher

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to find a difference between middle managers’ and blue-collar workers’ episodic non-work related and work related stress events. The information that was found was to be developed into a “peer influence” program to help prevent the workers from experiencing chronic stress symptoms.

Method: From research it was determined that there is a significant difference between middle managers’ and blue-collar workers’ episodic non-work and work related stress events. The material that was reviewed showed a difference in five areas: threat of job loss, lack of authority, new social values (sociability), personal life (satisfaction), and …

Contributions To The Career And Managerial Development Of Women: The Importance Of Selected Components As Perceived By A Group Of Community College Female Educators, Daniel A. Jaksen

Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the perceived importance of factors which comprised the major components of a leadership training program developed exclusively for female community college managerial aspirants. The study was undertaken to determine if any differences existed among six components, perceived by the participants as contributing to their career development. Comparisons were also made to ascertain if a difference existed in the importance of each of the components between those who have advanced in their careers since participating in the leadership program and those who have not advanced.

Data were collected from 251 (82%) female participants …

Effects Of Reinforcement Duration And Reinforcement On Response Latency: Stimulus-Reinforcer And Probability Response-Reinforcer Relationships, Henry David Schlinger Jr.

Dissertations

The purpose of the present experiment was to evaluate the stimulus-reinforcer and response-reinforcer relationships in a two-key procedure in which the key that the stimuli appeared on (stimulus key) was separated spatially from the key on which responding was required (constant key) (Hesse, 1984; Keller, 1974). Using pigeons and multiple fixed ratio schedules, the effects of differences in reinforcement duration and reinforcement probability on response latencies to the constant key were compared. Since responding to the stimulus key was not effective in producing reinforcement, any responding that developed to that key was assumed to be due to the stimulus-reinforcer relationships. …

The Familial Interrelationship Patterns, Socialization, And Juvenile Delinquency: An Integrated Theory And Research, Alan J. Pearl

Dissertations

Delinquency is widespread within American society. Americans are publicly and privately faced with high costs from delinquency. The theoretical development and research are now beginning to shed light upon the dynamics underlying delinquency. To understand and effectively deal with delinquency, more knowledge is necessary on its root causes. This dissertation is intended to provide more etiological knowledge.

Delinquent behavior is seen to be embedded within the interpersonal dynamics of the family at the level of socialization between parents and children. Essentially, the quality of the marital and parent-child dyads can facilitate or impede the socialization of youth. Socialization ineffectiveness leaves …

A Study Of The Feasibility Of Developing A Training Model To Incorporate Management By Objectives In Higher Education In Iraq, Nadhim J. Bakri

Dissertations

The initial decision to undertake this developmental study was an insight to the need of a more humanized administrative system that would replace a stagnant and obsolescent system. This understanding dictates a need for a systematic, comprehensive, and task-oriented training model for professional development of educational administration within the present system.

The purpose of the study was two-fold. The primary purpose was to develop a training model to incorporate MBO for professional development of educational administrators. The second purpose was to establish the task descriptions appropriate and necessary to operationalize the model.

An investigation of current management systems was utilized …

A Comparative Study Of Alcoholic And Nonalcoholic Women's Perception Of Their Relationship With Their Father, Judith A. Hinga

Dissertations

The literature review outlined the historical perspectives impacting current thinking about the role fathers play in child development. Theories of child development saw the mother as the important parent and all but ignored the father. Later researchers studied the father-daughter relationship and found that the paternal relationship is also an important factor in a female's personality development.

Theories of female alcoholism reviewed in this study indicate that there is a relationship between sex-role conflict and female alcoholism. Existing data show that the family of origin of female alcoholics is characterized by a cold, rejecting mother and a warm, accepting father. …

A Descriptive Study Of Six Career Developmental Tasks As A Function Of The Performance Ratings Of Supervisory Personnel Of The Financial Department Within One Division Of A Multi-National, Fortune 500 Manufacturing Corporation, Claudia Mettler Duranceau

Dissertations

This descriptive study investigated financial supervisory population within one division of a multi-national, Fortune 500 manufacturing corporation. Specifically, the study tested for the existence of a relationship between the level of six career developmental tasks on the predicted continuum of career development and the level of performance.

The Career Adjustment and Development Inventory (CAREER ADI) with a demographic cover sheet including performance data was used to collect data from the target population of ninety-two financial supervisors. The data reported the general characteristics: (a) survey response and performance rating, (b) age of the supervisor, (c) years with the corporation, (d) years …