Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
File Type

Articles 2551 - 2580 of 3024

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

The Influence Of Supervision Training On Supervisor Self-Efficacy Among Doctoral Interns At University Counseling Centers., Sarah Jane Haley Jan 2001

The Influence Of Supervision Training On Supervisor Self-Efficacy Among Doctoral Interns At University Counseling Centers., Sarah Jane Haley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A group of 145 clinical and counseling psychology doctoral students interning at APA-accredited university counseling center sites completed the Supervision Self-efficacy Questionnaire (SSQ) to determine differences in supervisor self-efficacy among different supervision training groups (e.g. no doctoral supervision course, a didactic supervision course, or a didactic-practicum supervision course) during their doctoral training. The SSQ was developed for this study; it was adapted from The Supervisory Focus and Style Questionnaire (SFSQ) (Yager, Wilson, Brewer & Kinnetz, 1989), which is based on Bernard's (1997) discrimination model of supervision. A one-way, between-subjects ANOVA found no significant differences in overall supervisor self-efficacy among the …

Go to article

Psychophysiological Responses Of Older Adults To An Anxiety -Evoking Stimulus, Angela W. Lau Dec 2000

Psychophysiological Responses Of Older Adults To An Anxiety -Evoking Stimulus, Angela W. Lau

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relation between anxiety and physiological responses in older adults as compared to younger adults. Heart rate (HR), skin conductance level (SCL), skin conductance response (SCR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were obtained before, during, and after exposure to a Stroop color-word naming task and a snake video from 46 female younger adults (age 18--30) and 28 female older adults (age 65--80) who were designated as either snake fearful or snake nonfearful. No significant group differences were observed on physiological measures to baseline one or during the snake …

Go to article

Prognostic Factors For Treatment Outcome In Young Children With Autism, Susannah Grimm Poe Dec 2000

Prognostic Factors For Treatment Outcome In Young Children With Autism, Susannah Grimm Poe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Over the past decade, systematic applications of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) have proven an effective means of improving the prognosis for many young children with autism. But in every study indicating that a number of participants have experienced good outcomes from these interventions, there remain a sizeable number of participants who have not had the same success. This study was undertaken to examine the differences between the parental rankings for each of eight characteristics across three points in time for children with autism to determine who succeeds with this kind of treatment and who does not. These parental reports were …

Go to article

Evaluating Mandatory Parent Education For Divorcing Couples With Children, Brian John Krolczyk Dec 2000

Evaluating Mandatory Parent Education For Divorcing Couples With Children, Brian John Krolczyk

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Court-mandated parent education for divorcing parents with children has become a standard practice in recent years. The West Virginia State Legislature voted to mandate parent education programs in all of West Virginia effective January, 2000. Research suggests parental conflict is a major factor contributing to adjustment difficulties reported by children. Generally, parent education programs for divorcing couples with children focus on adjustment issues for parents and children as they navigate a demanding period of family change. A literature review of current parent education programs in the United States revealed programs differ in teaching methods used and curriculum. It is reported …

Go to article

Students' Perception Of Performance Through Self-Assessment, Javier Dejesus Coronado-Aliegro Dec 2000

Students' Perception Of Performance Through Self-Assessment, Javier Dejesus Coronado-Aliegro

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was designed as a qualitative investigation and it focuses on the non-graded self-assessment adult ESL students make of their performance. It is based upon findings from previous studies of self-assessment in several settings (Glazer, 1999; Glazer et al., 1995; Optiz, 1995; Manning, 1997; Levy, 1999; Fazey, 1993; Boud, 1992; Orsmond et al., 1997; Sullivan and Hall, 1997; and Lan, 1996). The present research reports and analyzes data collected from eleven students who expressed their views concerning their performance through a checklist, two questionnaires and an interview in an ESL setting. The data collected and analyzed suggest that students …

Go to article

Effects Of Pain And Fear Stimulus Intensity Levels On Pain Responding In Chronic Pain Patients, John Thomas Sorrell Dec 2000

Effects Of Pain And Fear Stimulus Intensity Levels On Pain Responding In Chronic Pain Patients, John Thomas Sorrell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fear has been found to increase and decrease pain responding in various contexts, and the effects of fear and pain stimulus intensity levels on pain responding have not been examined. Forty chronic pain patients were exposed to an algometer pressure pain device which stimulated different fingers; there were two levels of pressure pain (i.e., high and low). Also, there were two levels of induced fear (i.e., high and low). Significant main effects of pain stimulus intensity level were found on threshold pain time, tolerance pain time, and self-reports of fear and pain. Also, a significant main effect of gender was …

Go to article

West Virginians' Perceptions And Use Of Complementary Medicine, Joshua David Blevins Dec 2000

West Virginians' Perceptions And Use Of Complementary Medicine, Joshua David Blevins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine how West Virginian's perceive and use complementary medicine. The first objective was to determine the frequency of respondents who had used at least one complementary therapy in the last year. The second objective was to determine the most commonly used complementary therapies among respondents. The third objective was to examine the demographic characteristics of respondents who used complementary therapies. The fourth objective was to determine if certain types of medical problems led to complementary medicine use among respondents. The fifth objective was to show the percentage of users who informed their physician …

Go to article

Subjective Norms, Attitudes, Body Mass Indices, And Self Esteem As Influences On Women's Body Image Behavior, Amy Martha Rogers Dec 2000

Subjective Norms, Attitudes, Body Mass Indices, And Self Esteem As Influences On Women's Body Image Behavior, Amy Martha Rogers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate associations between perception of body image among women and their body image behaviors. A study was needed to determine the extent to which subjective norms, attitudes, beliefs, Body Mass Index, and self esteem were associated with body image behaviors. The target population in this study was female students at West Virginia University. Data collection was facilitated through an anonymous mailed questionnaire sent to 400 female students at West Virginia University. Components of Theory of Reasoned Action were used to develop a questionnaire. Questions assessed participants' attitudes and beliefs, subjective norms, and outcomes …

Go to article

Assessing Computer -Mediated Communication Discourse Of A Traumatic Brain Injury Survivor, Cheryl L. Fickey Prichard Dec 2000

Assessing Computer -Mediated Communication Discourse Of A Traumatic Brain Injury Survivor, Cheryl L. Fickey Prichard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Speech-language pathologists and audiologists have begun using computer technology for information storage and retrieval and as one means of providing clinical services to communication-disordered patients. The purpose of this study is to develop a protocol to assess the written communication of brain-injured clients whose communication therapy milieu includes interactions with the world outside the treatment room through computer-mediated communication (CMC).;A panel of experts reviewed a series of discourse analysis procedures and rated their perceptions of validity, reliability, and ease-of use for the procedures as means of evaluating CMC discourse. The Computer-Mediated Communication Evaluation Protocol (CMC-EP) was developed based on the …

Go to article

Limits Of Sensitivity To Delayed Timeout From Avoidance, Chad Michael Galuska Dec 2000

Limits Of Sensitivity To Delayed Timeout From Avoidance, Chad Michael Galuska

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Session-reduction procedures have been employed to assess molar control of avoidance responding. By conceptualizing session reduction as a delayed timeout from avoidance, the present study investigated the limits of molar control while minimizing several methodological limitations inherent in such procedures. Six times during each session, a two-link chain schedule was superimposed on a baseline schedule of variable-cycle shock avoidance. Completion of the initial link (fixed-ratio 10 schedule) produced a timeout following a signaled delay during which the avoidance schedule remained operative. For most rats, the delay was manipulated across conditions from 0 s to 60 s. Control by the delayed …

Go to article

Persistence Of Response Variation And Repetition, Adam Howard Doughty Dec 2000

Persistence Of Response Variation And Repetition, Adam Howard Doughty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A multiple chained schedule was used to assess the persistence of fixed and variable response sequences. In one terminal link, a single 4-peck response sequence produced food (Repeat) and in the other terminal link a 4-peck response sequence produced food only if it had been occurring infrequently relative to the other 15 possible responses (Vary). Similar response and reinforcement rates occurred in each terminal link. Identical variable-interval 20-s schedules operated in the initial links preceding each terminal link and lower response rates reliably occurred in the initial link preceding the Vary terminal link. After responding stabilized under the multiple chained …

Go to article

Effects Of Reinforcement History For Following Rules On Sensitivity To Contingencies Of Reinforcement, Carolina Aguilera Dec 2000

Effects Of Reinforcement History For Following Rules On Sensitivity To Contingencies Of Reinforcement, Carolina Aguilera

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present experiment manipulated subjects' experimental history of reinforcement for following rules in order to assess sensitivity to contingency changes. Ten undergraduate students were presented with four training tasks. Half the subjects were presented with instructions that corresponded with the reinforcement contingencies for these tasks (Accurate Instructions group), while the other half was presented with instructions that did not correspond with the reinforcement contingencies (Inaccurate Instructions group). After meeting stability criteria, unsignaled changes in the contingencies of one of the tasks were made to test for sensitivity. Although the behavior of all the subjects eventually changed after contacting the changed …

Go to article

Commercialism, Subsistence, And Competency On The Western Virginia Frontier, 1765--1800, John M. Boback Dec 2000

Commercialism, Subsistence, And Competency On The Western Virginia Frontier, 1765--1800, John M. Boback

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Since the early nineteenth century, Americans have frequently associated the pioneers of the Appalachian Mountains with subsistence farming, economic independence, and a certain degree of hostility toward capitalism. This thesis disproves the myth of pioneer self-sufficiency by demonstrating how the men and women who settled in western Virginia during the final third of the eighteenth century used a variety of tactics in their struggle to achieve a competency. Although subsistence activities, such as hunting and farming, undoubtedly held an important place in the backcountry domestic economy, the settlers also interacted with the commercial market as both producers and consumers of …

Go to article

Effects Of Gender And Gender Role On Cardiovascular Reactivity And Anger Experience During An Interpersonal Interaction, Andria Leigh Black Dec 2000

Effects Of Gender And Gender Role On Cardiovascular Reactivity And Anger Experience During An Interpersonal Interaction, Andria Leigh Black

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined gender and gender role differences in cardiovascular reactivity and anger experience during an interpersonal interaction. Ninety-six participants interacted in dyads (traditional masculine men with traditional feminine women, and androgynous men with androgynous women). Agency (degree of challenge; High versus Low) and Communion (degree of agreement; Agree versus Disagree) were manipulated. Heart rate (HR) and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) were assessed. Participants completed questionnaires assessing state and trait anger, and angry thoughts. Traditional women exhibited higher HR during speaking and listening intervals than other groups. Higher levels of state anger were reported for individuals …

Go to article

Exploring Visitor Meanings Of Place In The National Capital Parks - Central, Wei-Li Jasmine Chen Dec 2000

Exploring Visitor Meanings Of Place In The National Capital Parks - Central, Wei-Li Jasmine Chen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study uses a new approach to interpretative research based on (1) understanding the meanings visitors attach to park resources, and (2) examining the connections that visitors made after attending an on-site interpretive program. The study was conducted at the National Capital Parks in Washington, DC. This study revealed that many visitors to the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Korean War Veterans Memorial (i.e. the Triangle) seek something of value for themselves, including everything from connecting with the past and rededicating themselves to the ideals of the nation. The study incorporated mixed method design, including purposeful sampling …

Go to article

Burnout, Stress And Social Support Among Doctoral Students In Psychology, Kelli Lee Weaver Dec 2000

Burnout, Stress And Social Support Among Doctoral Students In Psychology, Kelli Lee Weaver

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The relationships between burnout, stress, and social support have been evaluated across a number of populations within the helping professions. However, no published studies have addressed the relationships between the aforementioned variables among doctoral students in psychology. As a result, the current study attempted to expand knowledge of the relationships between burnout, stress, and social support specifically among Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology doctoral students. Results suggested that Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology doctoral students are generally similar in their reports of burnout, stress, and social support. However, several differences were observed between the groups, and these differences are reported. …

Go to article

Alexander Von Humboldt And Nineteenth-Century Ideas On The Origin Of American Indians, Michael Anthony Wadyko Dec 2000

Alexander Von Humboldt And Nineteenth-Century Ideas On The Origin Of American Indians, Michael Anthony Wadyko

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation revolves around Alexander von Humboldt's research on Indian origins. Humboldt conducted investigations on Indians during his precedent-setting scientific expedition to Meso- and South America during the years 1799--1804. Officially sponsored by the Spanish crown, the main purposes for this expedition were twofold: to examine, evaluate, and discredit Buffon's "degeneracy" claims about America and its inhabitants, and to gather empirical evidence on geography, climate, flora, fauna, and the indigenous cultures. From these results Humboldt published three major works about the expedition, particularly a thirty-volume work condensed to two volumes, Vues de Cordilleres et monuments des peuples d' Amerique.;From this …

Go to article

Breastfeeding Personal Efficacy Beliefs Of Women University Students, Ann Pollard Cleveland Dec 2000

Breastfeeding Personal Efficacy Beliefs Of Women University Students, Ann Pollard Cleveland

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Many women do not initiate breastfeeding although breastfeeding promotes their baby's health. Three reasons why women do not breastfeed are women's mental organization, cultural beliefs about breastfeeding, and women's breastfeeding personal efficacy beliefs. The conceptual framework for personal efficacy beliefs is Bandura's social-cognitive theory (1992, 1995, 1997). This dissertation used a new research instrument to examine women university students' breastfeeding personal efficacy beliefs. The instrument was tested by mail survey techniques that resulted in a 70.6% respondent rate. University women's personal efficacy beliefs about breastfeeding factored into five factor subscales. In order of magnitude, the personal efficacy belief factors were …

Go to article

Teacher Videotaping As A Method Of Self -Assessing Questioning Skills In Secondary Public Schools, Stephen Alan Alberts Ii Dec 2000

Teacher Videotaping As A Method Of Self -Assessing Questioning Skills In Secondary Public Schools, Stephen Alan Alberts Ii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Primarily this action research project was designed to hone my ability to Socratically question students by reflecting on my teaching through the lens of a videocamera---while reconciling my own paradigm with as many outside assessment devices as possible. The paramount consideration of my questioning/framing references was to incite students to think critically (see Pedagogical Skills Honed in chapter seven). The higher priorities of the outside assessors, on the other hand, were more political than instructional in nature (see Reconciling Multiple Assessments in chapter seven).;Scrutinizing and improving my questioning skills (the focus of the research) led to the epiphany that the …

Go to article

Agricultural Non-Point Source (Agnps) Water Quality Modeling In A Gis Environment, Stephen George Carpenter Aug 2000

Agricultural Non-Point Source (Agnps) Water Quality Modeling In A Gis Environment, Stephen George Carpenter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis project outlines the development and implementation of a complex GIS project in a government agency. The objective of the project was to integrate a public domain GIS package (GRASS) with a commercial structured query language database in order to undertake Agricultural Non-Point Source (AGNPS) water quality modeling. Three general areas of GIS technology were investigated consisting of technical issues involved in linking GIS; the model; database development; and a discussion of system performance from an institutional perspective.

Go to article

Opportunities That Exist For Communication Experts In The Field Of Communication Consulting, Dale Eugene Shriver Ii Aug 2000

Opportunities That Exist For Communication Experts In The Field Of Communication Consulting, Dale Eugene Shriver Ii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the opportunities that exist for communication experts, particularly graduate students, in the field of consulting. Interviews were conducted with established consultants to determine how consultants describe their job functions, what kinds of consultants are needed in organizations, and what barriers to entry exist for those wishing to enter the field. Results indicate that there are several factors to consider when attempting to enter the field of consultation.

Go to article

Dynamical Analysis Of Infant Social Referencing, Melissa Sue Atkins Aug 2000

Dynamical Analysis Of Infant Social Referencing, Melissa Sue Atkins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the present study was to examine relations between joint attention, language, maternal sensitivity, and temperament and the emergence of social referencing in infants and to closely observe variability in social referencing. Five infants, 7 months of age, were observed on a weekly basis for a period of four months. All five infants were engaging in social referencing behavior at the beginning of the study, which is much earlier than the literature indicates; therefore, the onset of the behavior was missed. However, results did indicate variability in social referencing behavior, in that infants referenced more in the laboratory …

Go to article

Determining The Effects On Parental Attitudes And Parenting Styles Towards Child Rearing After Participation In A Rural Parenting Program, Kathryn A. Canter Aug 2000

Determining The Effects On Parental Attitudes And Parenting Styles Towards Child Rearing After Participation In A Rural Parenting Program, Kathryn A. Canter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The intent of this study was to examine parental attitudes toward parenting and parenting styles before and after participation in a rural parent education program. The parental attitudes toward parenting were measured by the Parental Attitude Research Instrument (PARI). The three parenting styles; authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive, were measured by the Parenting Style Dimension (PSD). The participants in this study were six mothers of children who attended either the Starting Points Center Happy School or who visited the Food Pantry at Scott's Run Settlement House in Morgantown, West Virginia.;Cronbach's alphas were run on all measures with high reliability found on …

Go to article

Adapting Parent -Child Interaction Therapy To Train Head Start Teachers In Behavior Management, Alisa B. Bahl Aug 2000

Adapting Parent -Child Interaction Therapy To Train Head Start Teachers In Behavior Management, Alisa B. Bahl

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Efforts toward greater inclusion of children with a range of presenting problems have resulted in increasingly more children with difficult behavior in non-specialized classrooms. Unfortunately, teachers report that they have not been trained adequately to work with children who exhibit extreme behaviors. It is important, therefore, that effective methods of training teachers are empirically investigated. In clinical settings, strategies for training parents of young children with disruptive behavior disorders have substantial empirical support. Therefore, using these techniques to train teachers is a logical step. Parent-Child Interaction Therapy is one empirically validated parent training approach that uses coaching as a means …

Go to article

Reliability-Based Method For Stability Of Mine Entry Design And Evaluation, Zhouming (Victor) Sun Aug 2000

Reliability-Based Method For Stability Of Mine Entry Design And Evaluation, Zhouming (Victor) Sun

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Variability in the physical properties of coal/rock is a major source of uncertainty encountered around mining environment. It causes a considerable variation in strength/stress estimations of mining structures when the coal/rock properties are used. Therefore, the conventional safety factor method on stability assessment of mining structures is a special case of the more general probabilistic method in that it assumes the variability of coal/rock properties is zero. Although the use of probability and statistical methods in the analysis and design of geotechnical structures has grown rapidly in recent years, its application to mining structure design has been slow due to …

Go to article

Limits Of Behavioral Control By Temporally Extended Response -Reinforcer Relations, Todd Matthew Myers May 2000

Limits Of Behavioral Control By Temporally Extended Response -Reinforcer Relations, Todd Matthew Myers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Three experiments were performed to determine the extent to which the behavior of rats can be controlled by response-reinforcer relations that are extended in time. In Experiment 1, bonus pellets delivered at the end of the session were contingent upon a shift in choice responding within the session. Experiment 2 examined control of aggregated responses by a delayed consequence over a much shorter time period than an entire session. The reinforcing efficacy of bonus pellets was assessed using a chained-schedule procedure. The relation between aggregated responses and a delayed reinforcing consequence was assessed several times per session and with shorter …

Go to article

Increasing Self-Efficacy With Diabetes Cooking Schools, Sheila Rye May 2000

Increasing Self-Efficacy With Diabetes Cooking Schools, Sheila Rye

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Dining with Diabetes, a diabetes cooking school program offered through West Virginia University Extension Service, targets dietary self-management and is guided by Social Cognitive Theory. This study compared two convenience samples of persons with diabetes. One group attended the program, (experimental, n = 34) the other, (comparison, n = 13) did not. The groups were evaluated at baseline and three-month post-test regarding knowledge about dietary management of diabetes, skill and self-efficacy in preparing simple recipes. Four participants in the experimental group (11.4%) and one person from the comparison group (7.7%) had increases in all three areas. The study also assessed …

Go to article

Investigating Spelling Through Generative Instruction, Linda Ross May 2000

Investigating Spelling Through Generative Instruction, Linda Ross

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present study examined the components of generative instruction through the teaching of spelling rules. In Experiment 1, the effects of direct versus passive instruction and rate building versus equal-time practice were examined. Forty undergraduate students with below average spelling skills participated. Although there were better performances under passive instruction on some aspects of the posttests, and improved performance with rate-building practice on others, these results were not systematic and were contradicted by other results. The effects of rate building versus an equal amount of practice on the training and posttest application of spelling rules were examined in Experiment 2. …

Go to article

Timing Of Alveolar Cleft Bone Grafting In Maxillary Alveolar Cleft Defects, Richard Morrow Crout May 2000

Timing Of Alveolar Cleft Bone Grafting In Maxillary Alveolar Cleft Defects, Richard Morrow Crout

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Numerous methods have been attempted to identify the best time for secondary alveolar cleft bone grafting, including chronological age, skeletal age, and dental age. However, few studies have employed objective methods of assessment that would permit statistical analysis. Fifty-nine patients with clefts of the alveolus who acquired secondary alveolar cleft grafts at the Lancaster Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic were studied. A total of 74 affected areas from 15 bilateral and 44 unilateral alveolar cleft patients were available. Timing of the graft was determined utilizing root development of the involved canine, as compared to crown length, from a high quality …

Go to article

Youth Leadership Life Skills Development Of Participants In The West Virginia 4-H Camping Program, Rebecca Diane Duncan May 2000

Youth Leadership Life Skills Development Of Participants In The West Virginia 4-H Camping Program, Rebecca Diane Duncan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Although the development of leadership skills through the 4-H camping program is highly valued, measurement of leadership skill development of West Virginia 4-H camping program participants has been lacking. Thirteen to fifteen year old 4-H members were targeted in this study in order to gather data about leadership development among this age group.;Significant relationships were found between the total YLLSDS score and years of participation in county camp and receiving the Spirit of Camp Award. Participants also reported higher leadership scores if they had served as a Chief or Sagamore of their 4-H tribe, if they were female, and if …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last