Educational Psychology Commons^™

The Perception Of Single-Parented And Dual-Parented Children By Married And Divorced Teachers, Larry A. Blackmer

Dissertations

The single-parented child has become a focal point of attention for many educators. Concomitant to the increase in the number of children coming from families that have experienced divorce of parents is an increase in the number of professional persons who have experienced divorce as adults. The nation's schools are becoming more populated with single-parented children, and are being taught by teachers who are divorced or have experienced divorce.

The problem presented in this study questions if the interaction of the marital status of the teacher (divorced or married) and the status of the child (single-parented or dual-parented) will affect …

Depression And Anxiety In Postmenopausal Women: A Study Of Black, White, And Hispanic Women, Patricia Groessl

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate depression and anxiety in postmenopausal women. The study examined four areas: race, hormone state, number of menopause symptoms, and demographic data.

The sample consisted of 90 women between the ages of 45 and 65. All subjects had completed either natural or surgical menopause by a minimum of one year. The subjects were volunteers from the West Michigan area.

There were 30 subjects from each of the following race categories: black, white, and Hispanic. On the basis of self reports, the subjects were assigned to one of the following hormone state groups: (a) …

The Development And Validation Of A Social Skills Rating Scale For Early Adolescents, Alan Bain

Dissertations

This study responded to the need for a social skill assessment device specifically for use with early adolescents (i.e., ages 12-15 both regular education and mildly handicapped), that would assist teachers in addressing the social behavior problems experienced by this population.

The purpose of the study was to produce and validate a reliable teacher rating scale for use in: (a) screening adolescents for participation in social skill training programs, (b) measuring the efficacy of social skills training, and (c) measuring the generalization of social skills training to classroom social behavior. Aspects of both traditional and behavioral assessment theory were used …

An Analysis Of Conduct Disordered Boys’ And Their Parents’ Perceptions Of Their Family Social Environments, John Rolph

Dissertations

Conduct disordered behavior of male adolescents constitutes a major social problem. There are many disagreements among clinicians and researchers about the factors which cause and maintain antisocial child behavior.

The purpose of this study was to learn more about the differences between two types of conduct disordered boys and their families: Stealers and Aggressors. The Family Environment Scale Form R and Form I were used to obtain parental and child measures of perceptions of family social climates. The Health and Daily Living Form was used to obtain measures of parental mental and physical health, social resources, and family life change …

Video Display Terminals And Psychological Stress: A Study Of The Acclimation Process, Walker Michael Parmelee

Dissertations

The acclimation process that employees of a large manufacturing company underwent after the introduction of video display terminals (VDTs) to the workplace was studied. In an attempt to understand the acclimation process, employees' mood states, perceptions of the work setting and their reactions toward the VDTs were assessed. This study followed secretaries (N = 11) through the initial phases of converting from a traditional to an automated office. The subjects were observed four weeks prior to and eight weeks after the introduction of VDTs. The secretaries' stress levels were monitored by the Profile of Mood States. The secretaries' perceptions of …

Experiencing Scale Discrimination Between More And Less Productive Psychotherapy Sessions, Drevis L. Hager

Dissertations

Previous studies have failed to detect differences in experiencing (EXP) between more and less productive psychotherapy sessions. This study explored the possible relationship between EXP and session productivity and examined the efficacies of the conventional versus an alternative method of applying the EXP Scale.

Six client-therapist pairs audio recorded 52 psychotherapy hours, and after each independently completed a session productivity questionnaire. More and less productive sessions were selected based on the clients', therapists', and the clients' and therapists' combined responses. EXP ratings were made of 8-minute audio recorded segments, first using conventional mode and peak scores, and then using alternative …

A Logistic Discriminant Analysis Of Factors Affecting The Attrition And Retention In An Outpatient Treatment Program For Female Alcoholics, James Loser

Dissertations

The study was conducted in the context of three conditions related to alcoholism which impact Western society: the destructive effects of the disease, the paucity of research concerned with female alcoholics, and the problems of early termination from residential treatment.

The specific purpose of the study was to investigate the feasibility of using demographic and personality variables of female alcoholic outpatients at a residential facility to: (a) predict probable program completion for female residents at the time of admission and (b) predict probable premature terminations at the time of admission.

The Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation Behavior Scale (FIRO-B) and the …

An Analysis Of The Correlation Between Coping Factors And Clinical Symptoms, Justin Morgan Wilson

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between coping skills and clinical symptoms in the context of a stressful situation. The study gave support to Lazarus' cognitive model of stress. This conceptualization of stress is based on the dynamic relationship between intertwining variables.

The sample consisted of 336 male recruits ranging in age from 17-34 who were beginning basic training on March 11 and 12, 1986. Coping style was measured by the Ways of Coping Checklist Revised and clinical symptoms were measured by the Cornell Medical Index Health Questionnaire. Both questionnaires were given on the second day …

An Investigation Of Variables Related To Successful Foster Care Of Juvenile Delinquents, John Charles Weiks

Dissertations

This research was designed to investigate the outcomes of foster care placements involving delinquent youth placed by a juvenile court in regular foster family homes and more specialized treatment group homes (TGH). Forty predictor variables were identified through a survey of probation officers and a review of the literature. The major research question was to determine which of these variables were significantly associated with outcome of foster care placements. A second research question was to determine whether there were different variables related to foster family placement outcomes as compared to TGH placement outcomes.

The case records of 233 youth removed …

Executive Personality Types: A Comparison Of Military And Civilian Leaders In A Single Organization, John Edward Dewald

Dissertations

Differences between comparable military and civilian upper-level leaders in a single military organization were examined in terms of personality types. The survey instrument used was the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which was developed for use in personality assessment of normal individuals through the practical application of C. G. Jung's (1921/1971) theory of psychological types. Thirty pairs of executives were surveyed. Each participating pair consisted of a chief and his deputy, one military and one civilian, who shared the same office, authority, and responsibilities. Response to the survey was 100 percent.

Two sets of findings emerged from this study, the first …

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 …

The Use Of Guided Imagery In The Control Of Food And Liquid Intake Of Hemodialysis Patients, Thomas E. Higgins

Dissertations

This research was undertaken in order to clarify the relationship between guided imagery and the control of food and liquid intake by hemodialysis patients. There have been a number of studies dealing with the negative psychological states experienced by hemodialysis patients. A behavioral manifestation of these psychological states is the problem of maintaining proper food and liquid intake and this is a major problem for most patients.

One technique used by individuals to cope with negative psychological states and to learn healthy behaviors is guided imagery. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relaxation technique coupled with …

Perceptual Accuracy Of Affect Identification And The Relationship To Representational System And Personality Type, Richard Andrew O'Leary

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate accuracy of response to affectively laden stimuli across visual, auditory, and kinesthetic representational systems. This research was undertaken to assess subjects' individual response patterns and to distinguish possible differences in accuracy of response which subjects reported across representational systems. Subjects' response accuracy was correlated with their response frequency in subjects' representational systems. Subjects most accurate representational system was, in turn, compared to subjects' personality type. Subjects were assessed by two instruments, a modified version of the Affective Sensitivity Scale and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Relevant literature was reviewed related to human information …

A Study Of The Work Values And Achievement Motivation Of Persons Eligible For Federal Job Training Programs In A Rural Service Delivery Area, John Desiderio

Dissertations

The focus of this study was an analysis of the work values and achievement motivation of persons eligible to participate in federal job training programs in a rural region in west central Michigan. Also under review were the possible differentiating effects of select biodemographic and educational variables (sex, age, years of formal education completed, and level of scholastic achievement) on the work values and achievement motivation of persons within this population. Finally, the study contained an examination of the relationship between achievement motivation and work values.

The subjects under study were 167 individuals (85 males and 82 females) who qualified …

A Cross-Cultural Study Of The Relation Between Degree Of American Acculturation And Androgyny, Chui-Liu Serena Gui

Dissertations

Problem. Research has identified culture as one of the factors which reinforces sex-appropriate behaviors and punishes inappropriate behaviors for each gender. The purpose of this study was to validate the theory that culture is an influencing factor in the development of sex-role acquisition through studying two diversely different cultures.

Method. This study employed the Bem Inventory for the measurement of sex-role typing. There were a total of 374 college-age females from either a Chinese culture or Anglo-American culture who participated in the study.The subjects were divided into five groups according to the degree of American acculturation. Three null hypotheses were …

Psychological Typology Of The Local Firm Certified Public Accountant, Paul John Otte

Dissertations

This research expanded the study of psychological typology to the local firm Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Differences in type have been previously reported, based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), resulting from both level of authority and area of specialization in Big Eight firm CPAs. This study utilized the MBTI and a Personal Data Questionnaire to identify types and accumulate data related to the independent variables of level and preferred area of specialization. The MBTI operationalizes Jung's type theory and reports 16 possible Jungian types which were the dependent variables in this study.

The population of interest included individuals employed …

The Implications Of The Piagetian Stages To Readiness For Baptism, Daniel Gutekunst

Dissertations

The Problem. This study was designed to discover how children from Seventh-day Adventist families react to their baptism after the event. Do they feel that they were "ready" at the time of baptism? Do they think they understood the Bible doctrines when they were baptized? Which people and factors influenced them in their decision? Have these children reached cognitive maturity according to the Formal Operations stage in Piagetian terms, the stage at which children are accountable for their decisions.

Method. A questionnaire of thirty-three questions was given to children in selected Adventist schools who had been baptized between June 1972 …

Modification Of Staff Behavior In A Mental Health Center, Craig Wendell Knapp

Dissertations

Behavioral research which has focused on improving employee behavior in business and human service organizations has pointed to an increasing need to develop simple, effective management tools which will maintain appropriate behavior changes. The purpose of the present study was to explore the controlling relationship between behavior and variables previously cited in the literature, and to develop a procedure to increase and maintain the amount of time which employees in a mental health center spent on priority activities defined by management.

Eleven male and female employees in four programs of a mental health center were exposed to conditions in which …

Psychophysics Of Reinforcement Delay, Larry A. Morse

Dissertations

Various models have been used to describe the nature of the relation between reinforcement delay and relative response rate. Delay has been incorporated as one aspect of reinforcement within the matching law which states that the relative response rates in concurrent schedules will equal the relative immediacy of the reinforcement. A variation of matching applicable in concurrent-chain schedules states that the relative rates of responding in the initial links will match the relative reduction in the average delay to reinforcement correlated with the entry to each terminal link. The momentary maximizing position states that the molar matching relation is a …

The Evaluation Of Beginning Therapist Effectiveness Using Karon's Thematic Apperception Test Pathogenesis Index: A Psychological Approach, Catherine Rae Miller

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the applicability of Karon's Pathogenesis Index as a selection measure for persons entering graduate programs in the mental health field. The fundamental problem generating the research was the need for such selection indicators because of the present inadequacy of personality measures which adequately discriminate between those who have the capacity to become competent therapists and those who do not.

Analysis of the literature revealed many attempts to delineate those characteristics which defined a competent therapist. However, the results were mixed. Only one study VandenBos and Karon (1971) clearly identified a personality variable …

Key Predictors Of Vocational Rehabilitation Outcomes Among Clients With Psychiatric Disturbance, William Douglas Brooks

Dissertations

It was the purpose of this study to investigate demographic and treatment/training, services provided variables which predict rehabilitation outcomes among clients with psychiatric disturbance. A population of 166 clients representing a "Mental Health" caseload for Fiscal Years 1977, 1978, and 1979 from the Kalamazoo, Michigan Bureau of Rehabilitation District office were studied. The population consisted of three sub-groups of psychotic, neurotic, and character disordered subjects.

A total of twenty demographic and eleven treatment/training independent variables were subjected to correlational and Step-Wise Regression methods of analyses with closure status (Status 26 and Status 28) used as the criterion.

Three major research …

A Study Of The Self-Esteem Of Delinquent Male Adolescents And The Perceived Degree Of Their Parents' Child-Rearing Practices, Dayton Chin Chong

Dissertations

Problem. Many developmental psychologists are concerned about how par­ents' child-rearing practices influence adolescents' self-esteem, for self-esteem provides one of the foundations for the development of personality. Is it possible that parents' child-rearing practices contribute to the development of a low self-esteem which in turn influences behavior? This study was conducted to determine the relationship of self-esteem of delinquent male adolescents to the perceived degree of their parents' child-rearing practices.

Method. The study involved 132 delinquent male adolescents who matriculated during the fall semester of 1979 at Starr Commonwealth, Albion, Michigan. The males ranged from 12 to 18 years of age, …

Use Of The Audio Visual Tactile Treatment On Disabled Readers In Grades Three And Four : Its Effect On Word Recognition, Silent Reading Comprehension, And Attitude Towards Reading, Shirani Christine De Alwis

Dissertations

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the Audio Visual Tactile (AVT) treatment in third - and fourth-grade disabled readers in three areas of reading: word-recognition skills , silent-reading comprehension skills , and attitude towards reading. Procedures A Quasi-Experimental Pretest-Posttest Nonequivalent Group Design was used. The subjects were 87 students in grades 3 and 4 with at least low-average intelligence ( I . Q. scores of 80 and above), receiving Title I reading-support services during the 1979-80 school year. The students were from the Central, Northside, and Oak Manor elementary schools in the Niles Community …

The Influence Of Same-Sex And Cross-Sex Mentors On The Professional Development And Personality Characteristics Of Women In Human Services, Barbara Jean Charlesworth Quinn

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate mentoring relationships and to compare women's relationships with male and female mentors. Data were collected from 20 women (10 with male mentors and 10 with female mentors) with master's degrees or higher in social work, psychology, or counseling and working a minimum of 20 hours per week providing psychological services. Two instruments were administered to all of the subjects: the Standard Adjective Q Sort (SAQS), and the short form of the California Psychological Inventory (CPI). These instruments provided measures of the amount of agreement between actual and ideal professional self-perceptions and personality …

An Analysis Of The Decision-Making Process Used By Chief Student Personnel Administrators, Lawrence Anthony Pfaff

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the decision-making (DM) process used by chief student personnel administrators within universities from the perspective of both the chief administrator and his/her subordinates. The relation between DM method and several situational variables was examined. A comparison was made between the chief student personnel administrators' perceptions of their DM methods and the subordinates' perceptions of the chiefs' DM methods, and subordinates' perceived and preferred DM methods were compared. Also, the chief administrators' DM methods were studied in relation to: the importance of the situation as judged by subordinates and chiefs; span of control …

A Discrete-Trial Choice Procedure And The Psychophysics Of Amount Of Reinforcement: A Preliminary Analysis, Frans Van Haaren

Dissertations

A discrete-trial choice procedure, in which pigeons were exposed to one constant and one variable duration of reinforcement, was used to assess the effects of session-by-session manipulations in the variable reinforcement duration on the choice behavior of the subjects. Two groups of pigeons were used. Each subject in the first group was exposed to the same constant reinforcement duration (1.5, 3.0 or 6.0 sec), but different fixed-ratio trial completion requirements (5, 15 and 45). The subjects in the second group were exposed to all three different constant reinforcement durations while the trial completion requirement was kept constant with a variable-interval …

Programmed Review Tests In A Psi Course, Terry E. Mcsween

Dissertations

Two experiments demonstrated that carefully programmed review tests can result in 90% mastery of course objectives. Introductory psychology students participated in two group comparisons of the effectiveness of review tests versus no review tests. Review tests were programmed in that difficult items were repeated on several review tests. In both studies, students taking review quizzes outperformed students not taking review quizzes on final examinations. In addition, students not taking review quizzes were more likely to drop the course.

Evaluation And Training Of Behavior Modification Skills In Institutional Staff: An Indirect Approach, Terry J. Page

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Degree Of Client Manifest Anxiety As A Function Of Interaction Distance: An Investigation Of The Female-Female Counseling Dyad, Philip H. Knight

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Competitiveness, Cooperativeness, And Assigning Grades In The High School Classroom, Nelson Edward Evans

Dissertations

Problem. Currently, educators and psychologists have been rejecting the generally favorable position competition has held as a motivator and value within education. This study focused on teacher and student orientations varying as cooperative or competitive and the effect that they can have on student grades. That the interaction among students and teachers varying by orientation may prove counter-productive in the classroom is a crucial concern for both educators and students. It was hypothesized that dissimilarly oriented teachers and students would result in lowered grades for students. Independent variables were chosen in accordance with this major hypothesis which was divided into …