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Effects Of Familiarity With A Sample-Stimulus In Selection-Based Learning Of Verbal Behavior, Robert J. Wallander

Masters Theses

Selection-based verbal behavior involves indicating a stimulus in some way from a set of stimuli. Twenty undergraduates served as subjects in this study of familiarity with a sample stimulus in a selection-based paradigm. The study utilized twenty Japanese Kanji characters as the comparison stimuli to be selected. Half the subjects were presented English names of animals as sample stimuli and the other half of the subjects were presented Japanese Katakana symbols (which appear as little more than nonsense figures) as sample stimuli.

T-tests were performed on the average number of twenty-trial blocks needed to meet criterion (two consecutive blocks without …

Simulation Model For Predicting The Impact Of Progressive Diseases In The U.S. Population By Tracking, Biju Suseelan

Masters Theses

Computer Aided Simulation is the process of designing a mathematical-logical model of a real system and experimenting with this model on a computer. Simulation encompasses a model building process as well as the design and implementation of an appropriate experiment involving that model. A simulation experiment involves observing the dynamic behavior of a model by moving from state to state in accordance with well-defined operating rules designed into the model. This research contains the development of a novel approach for the HIV transmission dynamics by using computer simulation to track the HIV positive individuals in a population and to determine …

The Use Of Music Therapy To Influence The Self-Confidence And Hostility Of Adolescents Who Are Sexually Abused, Joy Clendenon-Wallen

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether music therapy would be an effective therapeutic medium for reducing hostility and increasing the self-confidence of sexually abused adolescents. The study utilized an experimental and control group which is unique in the sexual abuse literature. Most studies are descriptive or quasi-experimental in nature. Some of the subjects increased their self-confidence and decreased their hostility although no statistical significance was achieved for either group. This study describes the treatment problems of sexually abused adolescents and offers examples of non-confrontational and goal directed treatment strategies which can be achieved through music therapy. Music …

X.500 Directory Service Support For Electronic Mail, Mihai G. Sirbu

Masters Theses

"One of the difficult problems on the Internet is finding the electronic mail addresses of users. In practice, there are some indirect ways of finding these addresses such as the finger program in UNIX, but almost all of these methods require the user to know the exact host name of the destination. What is most desirable is an automated mechanism which provides the e-mail addresses of users if some minimal information about the destination site is known.

This thesis describes the design of such a directory service support system, based on the X.500 Series of CCITT Recommendation, for the elm …

Utilization Of Community Based Health Care Services By The Well Elderly, Rachelle Hesselberg, Kristen Wagner, Yolanda Zimmerman

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine if the elderly used community based health care services, to which they had been referred, following discharge from an acute hospital stay. The sample consisted of twenty elderly recruited from various senior centers in the West Michigan area. Of the respondents surveyed, 18 out of 20 were Caucasian. The average age of respondents was 73 years old. Of the services surveyed, all were under utilized by our sample except those in the clinic. An 18-item questionnaire was developed and distributed to the participants. Results from the data implied that it was more …

Physical Therapists' Knowledge And Perceptions Of Patient Care Team Meeting Styles In The Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting, Neisha Dickman, Christine Ritsema, Brenda Warner

Masters Theses

This study was designed to analyze what types of team meetings are being utilized for patient care in the inpatient rehabilitation setting. It was also designed to look at physical therapists' knowledge of the criteria that differentiates the interdisciplinary team approach from the multidisciplinary team approach. A perceptual questionnaire was sent to physical therapists involved in the inpatient rehabilitation setting in the State of Michigan. Only 1.7% of the physical therapists are involved in a true interdisciplinary team. The other respondents reported that their teams have some characteristics of both the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary team approach. However, when asked what …

The Psychological Types Of Physical Therapy Administrators, Heather Despres, Kelly Myers, Sue Woods

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe the distribution of psychological types among physical therapy administrators. Our random sample was taken from the membership roster of the Section on Administration of the American Physical Therapy Association. We used the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to assess psychological types and a demographic questionnaire to collect data on the administrators.; The most common psychological types among the participants (n = 45) were found to be ISFJ, ESFJ, ISTJ, INTJ, and ENTJ, respectively. Although no explicitly predominant type was found, a clear preference toward judging (J) was noted.

Multicultural Art Across The Curriculum, Yvonne J. Delamar

Masters Theses

The arts, by nature, can lend themselves as an essential unifying force in the multicultural curricular development in our increasingly diverse classrooms. A compilation of research and investigation is presented for teaching multicultural art throughout the curriculum. The finished project includes a model for teaching multicultural art across the curriculum and a bibliography of resources.

Hardiness And Its Relationship To Anticipatory Nausea And Vomiting Experienced By The Patient Receiving Cisplatin Chemotherapy, Colleen K. Smith

Masters Theses

Research suggests that the hardiness characteristic acts as a buffer in the stress/illness relationship. The purpose of this study was to assess the presence of hardiness and examine its relationship to the amount of anticipatory nausea and vomiting experienced within a sample of patients receiving cisplatin chemotherapy. It was hypothesized that individuals with a high level of hardiness would experience less anticipatory nausea and vomiting than individuals with a low level of hardiness.; A prospective descriptive correlational design was utilized. A convenience sample of adults with cancer (n = 29) receiving cisplatin intravenously was studied. All patients were assessed via …

Maternal Adjustment To Premature Birth: Utilizing The Roy Adaptation Model As A Theoretical Framework, Ivy Razmus

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether the adjustment for primiparous mothers of preterm infants was less positive than for primiparous mothers of term infants utilizing the Roy Adaptation Model as a conceptual framework. This secondary analysis utilized data from a larger longitudinal study. The data was collected at three months post birth in the homes of the mothers. The sample consisted of 55 preterm and 46 full term mothers. The Affects Balance Scale (Derogatis, 1983) was used to measure adjustment. A significant difference was found between preterm and full term mothers on the Positive Affects Scale and …

Perceived Stress Levels Of Registered Nurses Employed In Medical-Surgical And Critical Care Units, Karen Snyder Keese

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to compare perceived stress levels of registered nurses employed in medical-surgical units to perceived stress levels of registered nurses employed in critical care units. A descriptive, correlational study was conducted using Wolfgang's (1988) Health Professions Stress Inventory. Perceptions of stress were measured and related to specialty, years of experience, years of nursing education, hours worked per week, and shift worked. A convenience sample of 102 registered nurses from two midwestern hospitals participated by a self administered questionnaire. Study findings included: medical-surgical nurses perceived significantly higher levels of stress than critical care nurses; stressors for …

Raiders Of The Lost Ark And The Hollywood Tradition: Nostalgia, Parody, And Postmodernism, Michael F. Deters

Masters Theses

The film Raiders of the Lost Ark was released in 1981 to immediate success. Using a noticeably retrospective style, Raiders appealed to the public's desire to experience once again the same kind of viewing pleasure that Hollywood offered in the classical period. Accordingly, the film's nostalgic recreation of classical Hollywood entails a reliance on type characters, tough dialogue, and stock situations--with an overarching emphasis on maintaining a breakneck pace in its action. The appeal for the viewer, then, involves the satisfaction of a need to return to a superficially "simpler" time when the movies themselves were "simpler"--as they fulfilled the …

A Comparison Of Division I And Division Ii Student-Athletes' Backgrounds, Time Demands And Perceptions Of Academics And Athletics, Denise Reifel

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Of Devaluation, Imports, Exports, Balance Of Payments And The Imf In Malawi: A Case Study, Vincent G. Malunga

Masters Theses

In International Economics, conventional wisdom suggests that devaluation improves the trade balance for a country. This is possible because, by worsening the terms of trade for a country, devaluation leads to import substitution and enhanced competitiveness in the export sector. The trade balance is expected to improve via the J-curve, where the trade balance worsens first, until a country is able to adjust to the contractual problem.

This project sought to identify the presence of the J-curve or a lack thereof in Malawi, a country in South Central Africa, within the contextual frame work of the IMF's structural adjustment programs. …

The Multiple Voices Of Frederick Douglass, Gesthemane Vasiliadou

Masters Theses

In this rhetorical analysis of Frederick Douglass' style, I argue that the power of his language comes from the multiplicity of voices arising from his work. I specifically concentrate on the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself (1845), as well as on some of the speeches he delivered soon after the book was published.

Coming from a different culture, I was intrigued by my reaction to Douglass' writing style. I find him a writer with very strong rhetorical skills which have a tremendous appeal to any reader. My personal response explores the reasons …

Mentoring Relationships In The Real Estate Industry: A Descriptive Analysis, Angela Jacqueline Sweeney

Masters Theses

Mentoring is an old phenomenon which dates back to ancient Greece. It has recently gained the attention of researchers in organizational and business settings. The study examines mentoring relationships in the real estate industry. The purpose of this study was to identify whether mentoring takes place in a particular occupation, specifically real estate, and to further investigate the functions and qualities of the mentoring relationships. Sixty-three questionnaires were distributed to local real estate agents. Twenty-seven were returned yielding a response rate of 42%. Six follow-up interviews were conducted to compliment the quantitative data from the questionnaire. Results indicated that 80% …

Perceptions Of Lifeguard Training Programs From Park District Aquatic Managers In Illinois, Erika L. Smith

Masters Theses

The responses from park district personnel concerning the American Red Cross Lifeguard Training program (ARCLTP) and the Ellis & Associates National Pool and Waterpark Lifeguard Training program (E&ALTP) were examined and analyzed in this study. Subjects were employees from park districts, which are members of the Illinois Association of Park Districts and/or the Illinois Park & Recreation Association. Data were collected by a questionnaire, which measured each lifeguard training program's rescue procedures in terms of: l) emergency action plans, 2) communication systems, 3) entries, 4) approaches, 5) rescues, 6) risk management and 7) legalistic concerns. Demographic data were analyzed by …

"And The Woman Is A Stranger": The Double-Voiced Discourse In Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea And Voyage In The Dark, Hsiao-Chien Lee

Masters Theses

As the daughter of an English father, Jean Rhys inherited from her father and his sister the assertion that England was her motherland. On the other hand, growing up in Dominica which is inhabited mostly by African-Caribbean people, and surrounded by black servants--some of whom were her childhood playmates, Rhys naturally identifies herself with blacks. In her unfinished autobiography (Smile Please 1979), Rhys points out that she used to envy black people, feeling that they laugh a lot and seem to have a better time than whites do. Nevertheless, the problematic tensions of colonial and postcolonial society obstructed the …

Information Obtained Regarding Pre-Employment Contracts By Physical Therapists In Michigan, Cindy Clapp, Teri Culver, Pamela Thelen

Masters Theses

Pre-employment contracts, which offer financial assistance to students in exchange for a work commitment after graduation, are becoming a popular means of recruitment in physical therapy. Concerns about contracts include limited student knowledge and preparation prior to signing a contract. The purpose of this study was to examine physical therapy students' preparation prior to committing to a pre-employment contract. Questionnaires were mailed to 225 randomly selected Michigan healthcare facilities, surveying graduates of 1988 through 1992 about pre-employment contracts. Sixty questionnaires were analyzed representing 31 identified facilities. Thirty-three percent signed a contract. Prior to signing a contract most respondents did not …

Survey Of Educational Support For Low-Income, At-Risk Middle School Students In Champaign-Urbana Public Schools, Evelyn Burnett Underwood

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Current Practices In Central Illinois Public Elementary Schools For Implementing Full Inclusion Of Children With Disabilities, Mary Nan Zimmer

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Partner Training On Request Behaviors With An Aac User, Amy J. Fiala

Masters Theses

This study was conducted to examine the effects of partner training on request behaviors with an AAC user. A review of literature indicated that AAC users are often placed in respondent roles rather than initiator roles. Additionally, speaking individuals tend to dominate conversations over individuals who are nonspeaking. Such domination puts AAC users at risk for a loss of independence in communication of the basic communication interactions. Thus, inadequate social interaction skills are a common problem among AAC users. Utilizing communication partner training as an intervention target may serve to increase active participation in all areas of communication. The purpose …

An Electromyographic Study Of Forward Vs Retrograde Stair Climbing On The Stairmaster 4000 Pt Machine, W. Lynette Rasmussen Thornburgh

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate, through electromyography, whether forward or retrograde stair climbing on the StairMaster 4000 PT machine demonstrates a greater muscle contraction duration, differences in intensity of muscle contractions, or variation in initiation of muscle contractions. The muscles examined were the Rectus Femoris, Vastus Medialis, and Biceps Femoris. A gender difference was also evaluated.

Twenty-one subjects apparently healthy volunteered for this study. There were two groups of ten male subjects and eleven female subjects. Subjects were assigned to subgroups according to gender. The subgroups determined which position the subject was tested in first.

The descriptive …

A Review Of Alcoholism Typology And A Study Of Type I And Type Ii Alcoholism In A Treatment Sample, Kevin L. Elliott

Masters Theses

Matching alcoholics to appropriate intervention methods increases the likelihood of successful treatment. In order to better accomplish this, researchers have sought to identify distinct types of alcoholism. One promising approach is the Type I/Type II model of alcoholism. Type I alcoholism is characterized by a later onset and less severe social complications. It seems to be inherited from either natural parent and can affect children of either sex; it seldom occurs without the presence of a stressful environment. Type II alcoholism is distinguished by early onset and greater severity of consequences. It appears to be inherited only from father to …

Effects Of Information And Physical Positioning On Attitudes Toward An Individual Who Is Nonspeaking And Physically Disabled, Paige M. Lepak

Masters Theses

This study investigated the effects of printed information and four physical positions in space on attitudes of individuals who are nondisabled toward a person who is nonspeaking with severe physical disabilities. Employing a 4 (positions in space) X 2 (presence/absence of information) factorial design, subjects were presented with four photographs depicting a male who is both physically disabled and nonspeaking having a communicative interaction with a male who is nondisabled. Subjects in Condition 1 viewed 4 photographs depicting the individual who is nonspeaking sitting in a chair; Condition 2 subjects viewed photographs of the individual sitting in a wheelchair; Condition …

The Regular Education Initiative In Light Of Selected State And Federal Court Decisions, Frederick C. Kubicek

Masters Theses

This study begins with a general categorization of the various positions which comprise the ‘Regular Education Initiative.’ The first of these three categories, entitled the 'Little Change' model, calls for the least number of changes within the current delivery system of special education services. The second, the 'Extreme change' model, calls for the total dismantling of the present 'dual delivery' system. The third general heading is that of the 'Moderate change' model. This position calls for a substantial reduction in the number of students being served by 'pull out' programs. These three positions were then analyzed in light of twenty …

Investigation Of The Correlation Between The Tech Prep Initiative And The Restructuring Of Curriculum In Selected Illinois High Schools, Sandra K. Ward

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the Illinois Tech Prep Initiative and the restructuring of high school curriculum in Illinois. Tech Prep is a structured sequential program which emphasizes continuity in learning, integration of academics and vocational studies with technology, context-based teaching, and completion of the program with an associate degree.

This study examined the scope and degree which Tech Prep has influenced school districts to create new applied courses, implement new applied methods of teaching, and institute a new focus on technology. A questionnaire was mailed to principals of randomly selected high schools in …

Superintendent Evaluations: Superintendent And Board President Perspectives, W. Robert O'Dell

Masters Theses

The purpose of this field experience was to examine the formal evaluation process of superintendents from the perspective of superintendents and school board presidents. A survey of 72 public school district superintendents and board presidents in six counties in Southern Illinois was conducted. Those surveyed were asked to respond to questions concerning the evaluation instrument itself, the frequency and purpose of the evaluation, and criteria used to evaluate the superintendent.

In addition, a review of current literature associated with superintendent evaluations was presented. Included in the review were articles related to the importance of a good evaluation procedure to both …

The School Breakfast Program: A Study Of Variables In Its Implementation, Chris S. Long

Masters Theses

The major purpose of this study was to examine variables in implementing a school breakfast program in Shelbyville Community Unit School District 4, Shelbyville, Illinois. All students in grades kindergarten through eight are eligible to participate in the program.

A review of the literature indicates a link between nutrition and academic achievement as well as behavior and attitude toward learning. One in three school children either does not receive an adequate breakfast or receives no breakfast. Children who are hungry cannot learn. Federal subsidies that provide school lunches to the economically disadvantaged are also available for school breakfast programs. Few …

An Empirical Analysis Of The Recent Decline Of Union Membership In The United States, Mojgan Tajbakhsh Izadi

Masters Theses

The union membership in the United States has declined since 1970 and reached less than 14 percent of labor force in 1989. A number of studies have been conducted to examine the causes of decline in union membership. Among researchers nearly all believed that structural change in the United States economy plays an important role. The theories of managerial opposition and substitution of government and employers for unions were also supported by many researchers. This study examined the effect of the number of female and part-time workers from the labor force as a measure for structural change in the economy. …