Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Comparison Of Students' Anxiety Levels While Taking Computer Versus Paper And Pencil Timed Math Tests, Angela S. Jungerman

McCabe Thesis Collection

The purpose of this research is to compare and contrast the anxiety levels of students before and after taking the computerized timed math test with the levels before and after taking the paper-and-pencil timed math test. Two second-grade classes were used in this research with each student taking each test once. The computer test, found at www .saxonpublishers.com/activities/basic fact_ sheets/, consisted of 50 addition questions to be completed in 30 seconds, and the paper-and-pencil version, adapted by the researcher from a Saxon created test, consisted of 100 addition questions to be completed in 60 seconds. The students' blood pressures and …

Gender Differences In Attitudes Of The United States Initiating War Against Iraq, Cecelia L. Mcpheron

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Extensive research has shown that men have an attitude of war that is different from women’s. Based on such research, I hypothesized that more men than women would support the United States’ initiation of war against Iraq. The study involved 30 participants, in which there were 15 males and 15 females. All of the participants were administered a nine question survey that obtained information about how they felt about the United States initiating war against Iraq and if they supported it or did not support it. The results revealed no statistically significant effect of gender on a participant’s attitude of …

Do You Know Your 50 States?, Katherine Friedhoff

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

When information is forgotten, sometimes a visual cue can act as a spark to cue your memory into remembering the lost facts. In this study, the task at hand is recalling as many of the 50 United States as possible. Twenty undergraduate students were randomly assigned into two groups, where the first group’s task was free recall of the 50 states and the second group received a blank map of the states to test cued recall. This memory task may sound like an easy one but recalling the United States of America is tougher than participants imagined. However, there was …

Gender Differences Concerning Thoughts On Love Attitudes And Romance, Sarah E. Brady

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

In the present study, the question of which gender has more romantic views on love was investigated. Thirty participants were given a 30-question survey regarding their thoughts on love. Using a coded rating system, certain responses were considered to be more romantic and other responses were categorizes as less romantic and more idealistic. Results of this study showed that males, more often than females, supplied the romantic response to the survey questions. These findings might imply that males are the more romantic gender.

Research Proposal: Alcohol And Sexual Behavior, Brian Roth

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

It is known that alcohol and open sexual behavior are related. Does alcohol intake make young adults more receptive to engage in sexual activity? This is an amazing topic that is rather controversial and there are many opinions and debates about this topic. My goal is to find out by conducting this experiment whether there is a relationship between alcohol intake and sexual behavior among young adults. I plan to find that the intake of alcohol by young adults does make you more receptive to sexual behavior, because alcohol alters your thinking and allows you to act more freely. This …

Prologue, Michiko Nohara-Leclair

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

No abstract provided.

Research Proposal: Gender Stereotypes Within Children‘S Play, Melani Saito

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

For my research I will study the interaction habits of boys and girls. I wanted to watch these children and observe this behavior: to see if girls interacted with girls more than boys, and boys would play with boys more than girls. Bigler & Liben and Fagot & Hagan‘s Journal articles support my hypothesis of the children interacting with their own sex more. But Shirley and Heywood would disagree and support the idea that there is no difference. I wanted to study this because I think that it would be interesting to find that children really do play with their …

Research Proposal: Marijuana And The Sociability Factor, Jennifer Ip

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Contrary to popular belief, the social effect of drug use is not necessarily negative. Studies have shown that peers and acquaintances play a role in the initiation of substance use. However, the same evidence also supports that ties with others, especially those with similar characteristics correlate with better mental health (Ford, 2001). According to Ford (2001), by regulating behaviors and attitudes through the creation and exercise of constraints, or by providing individuals with a belief that life has meaning and purpose, social integration may no only promote mental health, but physical health as well. Some studies have found that marijuana …

Research Proposal: The Effectiveness Of Personality Tests In Predicting An Individual‘S Job Performance, Cecelia L. Mcpheron

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

This study is designed for the purpose of determining whether personality tests are effective in predicting an individual‘s job performance. I chose to research this topic because of my interest in industrial psychology. In addition, there are a number of businesses that require potential employers to complete a personality test.

Bates (2002), addresses the fact that personality assessments can be extremely useful in hiring the right person for a particular job. Employment tests seem to be on the rise and roughly 40 percent of employers use them. In addition, human resource professionals should expect to pay a significant amount of …

Research Proposal: Effects Of Tipping Styles On The Quality Of Service, Allison Paul

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Occasionally people enjoy, or engage in dinning out at restaurants. People go out to celebrate birthdays, holidays, promotions, and many other special events. However, along with celebration follows showing the server appreciation by tipping. People have their own reasons for tipping big or leaving the server a penny. Some guests tip 5 percent and some tip 50 percent. Most people tip at the end of the meal as compared to the beginning. Some would say that might keep the server on their toes. Many people tip on the speed of the food, if the server kept their beverages full, or …

Greeks Compared To Non Greeks And Alcohol Consumption, Melani Saito

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

For my experiment, I studied the difference between students who are involved in a Greek organization compared to those who are not. Forty undergraduate students from Lindenwood University were used. They filled out a survey that I have prepared about Alcohol Consumption, asking a variety of questions such as, how many nights a week they go out, how much money they spend on an average week on alcohol, and where they go when they want to go drink. Results show that there is no significant difference between those students involved in Greek organizations compared to those who are not, but …

Predictive Validity Of Kindergarten Phonemic Awareness Measures On Second Grade Reading Skills, Sarah Midden

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In order to succeed and progress in the academic domain, a student must possess basic reading skills. One characteristic of poor readers is their lack of understanding of phonological structure and lack of awareness of phonemes. Phonemic awareness tasks are divided into two broad categories: synthetic or analytic. Both have been shown to be accurate indicators of later reading ability. Little research has been conducted on the predictive nature of some of the recently published measures of phonemic awareness. The purpose of the current study is to examine four published measures to determine which measures are the best predictors of …

Consultation Trends In School Psychology Literature, Janelle Zaciewski

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Consultation is a prominent indirect service delivery method in school psychology today. Several publications endorsed by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) have traditionally suggested the mental health, organizational, and behavioral models of consultation as the three prominent consultation models in the field of school psychology. However, no supporting data are cited and it is unclear if these three models are still prominent in school psychology today. The present research examined the consultation literature over the last 22 years in two prominent school psychology journals, Journal of School Psychology and School Psychology Quarterly (originally called Professional School Psychology). This …

Consultation Trends In School Psychology Review Over The Last Twenty-Two Years, Jill Lawson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Among the multiple roles of a school psychologist is consultation. The Mental Health, Organizational, and Behavioral models of consultation are reported in publications by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) to be the prominent models in the field of school psychology. However, no supporting data are cited; thus it is unclear whether these three consultation models are the most prominent in school psychology today. The current study evaluated the consultation literature over the past twenty-two years in the professional journal School Psychology Review. Consultation articles were analyzed to obtain information regarding the frequency of consultation articles published, the most …

Influences On Juror's Perceptions Of Sexual Harassment, Shawn Rainey

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Participants role-played jurors evaluating the facts of a potential sexual harassment incident, including information on victim and perpetrator intoxication levels. They first made an individual determination of sexual harassment, followed by a group determination. Generally, sober perpetrators were more likely to be perceived as guilty of sexual harassment than either intoxicated perpetrators or when no information on perpetrator intoxication was available. However, victim intoxication interacted with gender to impact decisions of sexual harassment. Men were less likely than women to find the perpetrator guilty when the victim was sober. Women were less likely than men to find the perpetrator guilty …

Content Validation And Modification Of The Aauw Survey On Sexual Harassment In The Schools For Use With Juvenile Sexual Offenders, Daniel Belding

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This project was conducted to validate the survey used by the American Association of University Women in the study of sexual harassment in the schools, for use in studying the behaviors of juvenile sexual offenders in schools. The original survey was modified to decrease bias in the questions and eliminate questions that did not pertain to information that may be significant for juvenile sexual offenders. The project solicited information from juvenile sexual offenders (n=9) and experts (n=6) in the field of juvenile sexual offending to validate and modify the survey to better look at juvenile sexual offender behaviors in schools. …

The Influence Of Job Satisfaction And Life Satisfaction On Immediate Mood States, Withdrawal Intentions, And Organizational Citizenship Behaviors, Lynne Battista

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Affective states influence an individual's level of job satisfaction and life satisfaction. Affective states also influence behavior (e.g., withdrawal intentions and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors). The present study investigated the inverse relationship—that is, whether job and life satisfaction influence immediate mood state, and consequently withdrawal intentions and Organizational Citizenship Behaviors. Participants, who role played a restaurant server, were given a scenario that induced either positive job or life satisfaction, negative job or life satisfaction, or no information was given regarding their level of job or life satisfaction. Participants then responded to instruments measuring immediate mood state and behavioral consequences. Results indicated …

Married Asian-Indian Women's Attitude Toward Divorce And Its Relationship To Acculturation In The United States, Kavita K. Ajmere

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between married predominantly Hindu Asian-Indian women's attitude toward divorce and their acculturation in the United States. The final data set included a total of 66 participants (33 first generation and 33 second generation). These participants were administered The Majority Minority Relations Survey (MMRS), the Attitudes Toward Divorce Questionnaire, and a Demographic Information Questionnaire. Results showed on average, first generation participants endorsed more conservative attitudes toward divorce, higher levels of perceived prejudice by the majority group, and higher level of language usage in their native Indian language. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that acculturation added 15% …

Gender Differences In Shopping Habits And Goals Of Shopping, Angela R. Merrell

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

A review of the literature suggested there could be gender differences in the goals and shopping habits of consumers. The hypothesis is that female college students will take part in the activity of shopping for the sake of shopping while male college students will take part in the activity of shopping to purchase specific items. I tested this hypothesis by giving out questionnaires concerning one’s shopping habits and goals to volunteer undergraduate college students of both genders from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO. The findings did support the hypothesis. Individual statistics from each question show support for gender differences. …

Gender And Ability To Distinguish Between Sugar-Free And Sugar Peppermints, Allison Paul

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Do men and women have the same ability in distinguishing sugar free peppermints from regular, with sugar, peppermints? Many would say that women have a stronger sense of taste and smell, possibly due to motherly instincts. Fourteen male and fourteen female students from the Human Subject Pool at Lindenwood University participated in the study. The students were asked to taste two peppermints and record, which they thought was sugar free. The results revealed no statistically significant sex difference in the student’s ability to identify the sugar-free candy. However, there was a significant finding in order effects. Seven out of the …

Can You Tell The Difference, Brian Roth

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Theorists have been led to believe that there is a gender difference when it comes to how you eat. In my present study I recruited sixteen females and fifteen males who participated in a survey and taste test to see if there was a gender difference between males and females in regards to identifying store brand food and name brand food. I found that there is no gender difference in the ability to name brand food and store brand food. I plan on presenting my study to several grocery stores and showing them my results. The grocery stores could then …

Research Proposal: Gender Differences Concerning Thoughts On Love Attitudes And Romance, Sarah E. Brady

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Which gender has more romantic views on love? Oftentimes, women think of their sex as the more romantic gender and complain that their partners are not romantic enough. Yet, is this truly the case?

Spring 2003, Full Issue

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Gender On The Accuracy Of Change Detection, Jennifer L. Sytsma

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Does gender play a role in the accuracy of change blindness when observers are presented with a Rensink, O’Regan, and Clark (1997) flicker paradigm? I presented male and female subjects with two sets of A and B photographs that depicted a model in a natural setting with some sort of obvious change occurring between scenes A and B. Participants were asked to record any noted changes. I hypothesized that females would be more successful in accurately identifying the changes between scenes A and B than males. Results of the study reveal that there is no statistically significant effect of gender …

Research Proposal: Gender Differences In Cleaning Your Hotel Room, Angela R. Merrell

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

At home, the majority of women do more cleaning involving such household tasks as cooking, washing the dishes, keeping the floors clean, and so on while the men tend to achieve little of the household cleaning load with the exception of managing the finances and doing household repairs. However, when in a hotel room setting a man will throw away trash, straighten up the bathroom by putting the used towels in a pile, and engage in other straightening activities more than a woman will. I want to look into this because I found it interesting that in my personal experiences …

Research Proposal: The Effects Of Alcohol On The Social Aspects Of High School Students, Katherine Friedhoff

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

Although the legal drinking age is twenty-one, the age that a person begins to consume alcohol is decreasing. In a study in 1997, the average age of first alcohol use was 13.2 years old ( Maney, Higham-Gardill, & Mahoney, 2002). Drinking alcohol at a young age can lead to social problems and even delinquent behavior. It has been said that adolescent alcohol misuse has been shown to be part of a constellation of problem behaviors including delinquency and illicit drug use (Barnes, Welte, & Hoffman, 2002). Not only does it aid in future delinquency but also antisocial personality and health …

Research Proposal: Dogs As Reducers Of Anxiety In Social Situations, Jennifer L. Sytsma

Undergraduate Psychology Research Methods Journal

For many years animals have played a large part in the average family unit. Animals become more than just pets and begin to be considered a family member or a best friend. With such close relationships developing between owner and pet it would not be far fetched to say that animals could act as a social mediator for those who suffer from chronic anxiety in social situations.

I believe that pets can greatly reduce stress and anxiety during social interactions with those who suffer from social anxiety. Since dogs are the most commonly seen pets in an outside setting most …

Distributive Justice: Perceptions Of Star Player Treatment In Work Team Settings, Nadim Zaidy

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present study examined the effects of punishment given to the most valued team member who has committed a company rule violation. The team is working on an important project where the contribution by that valued member is critical to project completion. The study assessed the effects of the severity of rule violation, the severity of the punishment, the consistency of the punishment, and who is impacted by the punishment. The results indicated that when a valued employee has committed a rule violation, applying consistent punishment is perceived as more fair and appropriate by the teammates. However, when that valued …

The Effects Of Goal Orientation And Type Of Feedback On Perceived Competence And Performance, Adam Leezer

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The theory of goal orientation holds that persons will generally be motivated by one of three goal orientations in an achievement setting: a learning orientation, a performance-prove orientation, or a performance-avoid orientation. These goal orientations create the mental frameworks that an individual uses to interpret and respond to achievement settings, and are associated with different cognitive, behavioral, and affective responses to feedback, task-difficulty, and task success/failure. In addition, different types of feedback can orient individuals to different aspects of a task, and result in differing feedback effects. The present study examined how different types of feedback affect the perceived competence …

Effects Of Ethanol On Anti-Saccade Task Performance., Sarah A Khan, Kristen Ford, Brian Timney, Stefan Everling

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

It has been shown that saccade-related neurons in the superior colliculus (SC) display an increased level of prestimulus activity and a higher stimulus-related burst in action potentials preceding direction errors in the anti-saccade task compared with correct anti-saccades. From this, it has been hypothesized that errors occur when the incoming visual signal in the SC passes a threshold and triggers a reflexive saccade. This hypothesis predicts that an attenuated visual signal will reduce the number of direction errors. Since ethanol has been shown to have a suppressive effect on cortical visual event-related potentials (ERPs), the purpose of the present study …