Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Foster Care Placement : Age At Time Of Removal And Successful Functioning, Michelle L. Wetzel

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Foster care placement is considered to be the primary placement option for children who are removed from their families for reasons of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect. Child care workers question the level of future success these children will acquire if they are not removed from their abusive environments as soon as possible. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the age at time of removal and success levels in the areas of education, substance abuse, and probation involvement during the adolescent years, ages 16- 18.

Subjects• functioning in these areas was assessed by …

The Effects Of An Organizational Communication Intervention On Job Satisfaction In A Public Health Organization, Ann Kathleen Riley

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an organizational communication intervention on job satisfaction levels. Nineteen employees of a rural public health department served as the subjects of the study. Archival data was reviewed based on a pre and postjob satisfaction questionnaire administered to subjects in relation to a communication intervention. It was hypothesized that job satisfaction levels would increase as a result of an organizational communication intervention. Results of an independent !-test analysis for overall pre and postjob satisfaction scores did not support this hypothesis. Implications of the study and recommendations for future research are …

The Development Of The Meanings Of Think And Know Through Conversation, Lea Kessler Shaw

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

An apparent discrepancy in the literature on mental verbs between findings of experimental studies (young children fail to contrast terms) and observational studies (children use terms correctly in conversation) can be reconciled using Nelson and Lucariello's (1985) theory of word meaning development. According to their analysis, three aspects of word meaning develop in order: reference, denotation, and sense. For success at experimental tasks, children must have attained a system of interrelated word meanings (sense). However, children's initial uses of think and know take their meanings from the roles in the language games in which they occur (Wittgenstein, 1953).

In this …

A Structural Equation Model Of Environmental Attitude And Behaviour : The Hong Kong Experience, Oi Ling Siu, Kui Yin Cheung

Centre for Public Policy Studies : CPPS Working Paper Series

The present study aims at establishing a structural equation model relating affect, verbal commitment, and actual commitment using a sample of 271 university students (119 males, 152 females) by applying the theory of reasoned action (Aizen & Fishbein, 1980). A linear structural equation relation (LISREL) model was developed to verify that verbal commitment is a function of affect, and in tum, determine actual commitment. Sixty percent of the variance of verbal commitment could be explained by affect, and 19 % of actual commitment could be explained by verbal commitment; yet only a small percentage of the variance of actual commitment …

Decreasing Inappropriate Classroom Behaviours Through A Videotape Self-Modelling And Self-Monitoring Treatment Package, Catherine Ann Coyle

Theses : Honours

Children with autism frequently display an inability to function independently. This has led researchers to develop treatments that are aimed at overcoming the dependency of these children on parents and teachers and which teach them to manage their own behaviour. A self-management treatment package consisting of videotaped self-modelling, self-monitoring, and self-reinforcement was investigated in the present study. The focus was the effect of the treatment package on the inappropriate classroom behaviours of three children with autism. The behaviours that were chosen were those that were most likely to interfere with the participants' ability to work independently in the classroom. The …

Relationships Among Attributional Style, Behavioral Problems, And Gender In Learning Disabled Vs. Non-Learning Disabled Adolescents, Janet Cervalli

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Depression-Related Impairments In Prospective Memory, S. S. Rude, Paula T. Hertel, W. Jarrold, J. Covich, S. Hedlund

Psychology Faculty Research

Time-based prospective memory, the ability to carry out a future intention at a specified time, was found to be impaired in a community sample of clinically depressed adults, relative to a nondepressed sample. Nondepressed participants monitored the time more frequently and, in the final block of the task, accelerated time-monitoring as the target time for the prospective memory response approached. These results are consistent with previous findings of depression-related impairments in retrospective memory tasks that require controlled, self-initiated processing.

Latter-Day Saint Fathers Of Children With Special Needs: A Phenomenological Study, Michael M. Olson

Theses and Dissertations

This research, presents a qualitative study of six Latter-day Saint fathers of children with special needs. In-depth interviews were used to examine the demands and resources fathers draw upon in meeting the needs of their child(ren), the application of the conceptual ethic of fathering as generative work and crisis/stress theory, as well as an analysis of how fathers incorporated their religious beliefs, faith, and practices into fathering their special needs children. Narrative accounts are used to illustrate the results. These results are then applied to an integrated conceptual framework and clinical applications are made.

17Β-Estradiol Enhances Nmda Receptor-Mediated Epsps And Long-Term Potentiation, Michael Foy, J. Xu, X. Xie, R. D. Brinton, R. F. Thompson, T. W. Berger

Psychological Science Faculty Works

17β-estradiol enhances NMDA receptor-mediated EPSPs and long-term potentiation. Gonadal steroid hormones influence CNS functioning through a variety of different mechanisms. To test the hypothesis that estrogen modulates synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus, in vitro hippocampal slices from 2-mo-old Sprague-Dawley male rats were used to determine the effect of 17β-estradiol on bothN-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) through intracellular recordings and long-term potentiation (LTP) through extracellular recordings. Intracellular EPSPs and extracellular field EPSPs (fEPSPs) were recorded from CA1 pyramidal cells by stimulating Schaffer collateral fibers. In intracellular experiments, slices were perfused with medium containing bicuculline (5 μM) and …

The Use Of A Habit Reversal Treatment For Chronic Facial Pain In A Minimal Therapist Contact Format, Donald R. Townsend

Theses and Dissertations

The temporomandibular disorders (TMD) diminish quality of life and can be costly for both individuals and the health care system. Stress from a variety of factors, including daily hassles and maladaptive thought patterns, has been commonly cited as a contributing factor in TMD. Support for this hypothesis comes from research demonstrating masseter muscle hyperactivity in response to experimental stressors, such as painful or frustrating stimuli. Many believe the link between stress and increased masseter muscle pain is parafunctional oral habits, including teeth clenching, grinding, and lip biting. Habit reversal has been used effectively to treat parafunctional oral behaviors and facial …

Using Responsive Evaluation To Evaluate A Professional Conference, Amy N. Spiegel, Roger H. Bruning, Lisa Giddings

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

In a statewide conference on alternative methods for assessing students’ learning, we incorporated responsive evaluation methods into the structure of the conference. The application of these interactive evaluation techniques serves as a pilot study that illustrates the possible utility of these tech-niques in evaluating conferences. This paper provides a brief review of the literature surrounding responsive evaluation, a description of the responsive evaluation methods applied to this conference, and a discussion of the results and implications of this pilot study.

Using Teacher Reflective Practice To Evaluate Professional Development In Mathematics And Science, Vicki L. Wise, Amy N. Spiegel, Roger H. Bruning

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Systemic reform has been a key element of the mathematics and science educational agenda for the past decade. Systemic reform proponents advocate emphasizing mathemat-ics and science from kindergarten through l2th grade; adopting new math and science ed-ucation standards; providing ongoing professional development for teachers (Frechtling, Sharp, Carey, & Vaden-Kiernan, 1995); and aligning policy, practice, and assessment pro-cedures. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has supported the development of sys-temic reform by funding statewide, urban, and rural systemic initiatives to improve K–12 mathematics and science education throughout the United States (Fitzsimmons & Kerpel-man, 1994).

The Effect Of Proximity On Landmark Use In Clark’S Nutcrackers, Kristy L. Gould-Beierle, Alan Kamil

Avian Cognition Papers

Clark’s nutcrackers, Nucifraga columbiana, store thousands of pine seeds during the autumn and retrieve them throughout the winter. It has been shown that these birds are able to use visual cues to relocate hidden food in the laboratory. In this set of experiments, we trained three groups of Clark’s nutcrackers to find a hidden food goal that was placed in the same spatial location relative to the testing room. During training, the location of two local cues in relation to the goal differed between the three groups. Group 1 learned the task with the cues closest to the goal, group …

Patterns Of Movement And Orientation During Caching And Recovery By Clark’S Nutcrackers, Nucifraga Columbiana, Alan Kamil, Russell P. Balda, Sally Good

Avian Cognition Papers

Clark’s nutcrackers regularly store large numbers of pine seeds and remember the locations of the cached seeds. Although they are very accurate, they do make some errors during recovery. In an attempt to determine whether any behaviours during caching predicted the occurrence of errors during recovery, we videotaped Clark’s nutcrackers while they cached and recovered seeds under laboratory conditions. We used the videotapes to develop complete, quantitative descriptions of caching and recovery behaviour, with an emphasis on body orientation and directions of movement. During caching, the birds showed the greatest change in their orientation and direction following cache creation. During …

How Do They, Indeed? A Reply To Biegler Et Al., Alan Kamil, Juli E. Jones

Avian Cognition Papers

We trained Clark’s nutcrackers, Nucifraga columbiana, to search halfway between two landmarks while varying the distance between the landmarks (Kamil & Jones 1997). We found that the birds learned the problem readily and generalized to novel interlandmark distances within the range of distances used during training. Unlike some other studies in which responses to proportional distance were obtained (e.g. O’Keefe & Burgess 1996; Tommasi et al. 1997), the nutcrackers showed very precise search and maintained this precision during the transfer test. The distributions of digging locations around the central position were concentrated within ±1–2 cm of the central location …

Master's Programs In Mental Health Counseling And School Guidance And Counseling Policies And Procedures Handbook 1999-2000, Nova Southeastern University

College of Psychological Services / College of Psychology Postgraduate Student and Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Feminism Meets Self-Care In Social Change Work, Wendy L. Telford

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The trauma literature reveals that anti-violence work can negatively affect anti-violence workers. These effects are different from those of doing general counselling, therapy, and research. The effects include disrupted beliefs about the goodness of people, difficulty trusting others, emotional numbness, psychic drain, spiritual disconnectedness, and loss of meaning and purpose in life. I experienced a negative transformation while participating in feminist social change work, specifically feminist anti-violence work. I decided to investigate this transformation and share my insights. I collected the data from within myself through an intuitive, reflective writing process, then compared and contrasted my experience to relevant literature. …

Applied Ethics In Mental Health In Cuba: Concepts, Values, Dilemmas And Resources, Laura Sanchez Valdes

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this thesis I studied the concepts of applied ethics of mental health professionals in Cuba. In the thesis, I discuss the values that guide Cuban professionals in their work, the dilemmas they encounter, the resources that facilitate solving ethical dilemmas and the barriers they encounter in addressing them. In addition, I present recommendations for the prevention of harm in professional practice. In the first part of the literature review, I critique traditional concepts of applied ethics prevalent in North America. These concepts are criticized for their lack of applicability to the working life of the professional. An alternative model …

Ondansetron Interferes With The Establishment And Expression Of Lithium-Induced Conditioned Rejection Reactions, Cheryl Lynn Limebeer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Conditioned rejection reactions displayed in the taste reactivity test may reflect conditioned nausea in rats because they are exclusively produced by emetic agents. The present experiments demonstrated that pretreatment with the anti-nausea agent, ondansetron, interfered with the establishment of conditioned rejection reactions (Experiment 1) and interfered with the expression of previously established conditioned rejection reactions (Experiment 2). Ondansetron selectively interfered with conditioned nausea as reflected by conditioned rejection reactions because it did not modify the unconditioned rejection reactions elicited by unpalatable quinine solution (Experiment 2). Although ondansetron blocked the expression of the selective taste reactivity reaction of conditioned rejection, it …

Implementing School Supports For The Wellness Of Newcomer Children, Jeannette L. Amio

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The present thesis chronicles a participatory study of the implementation of school-based supports geared to the newcomer children of Highfield Junior School. A dual focus on research and action was integral to the objectives of the investigation, namely to: a) illuminate the present network of school supports, b) compose an ideal configuration of a school attentive to the needs of newcomers, and c) prescribe implementation steps that can transform the school closer to the ideal. To ground the study, I review the adaptation difficulties of newcomer children, the preventive measures that schools can take to reduce these vulnerabilities. and how …

Planning And Developing School-Based Community Supports For Refugee Children, Peggy (Margaret) Nickels

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Despite the growing numbers of refugee families settling in Canada, there is little or no documentation on how to support the healing process of refugee children. The purpose of this study was to learn about planning and developing school-based community supports for these children by examining and documenting several school-based community initiatives in Kitchener-Waterloo. Data collected included three focus group interviews, seven key informant interviews, a document review, and a research process journal. Findings were organized around motivation, guiding values and principles, resources, processes, actions, partnerships, dynamics, and sustainability. Shared values and principles emerged as the passion and the glue …

Transitions '98: Evaluation Of A Support Group Program For First-Year University Students, Alexandra J. Ostaniewicz

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The transition from high-school to university can be a difficult time in the lives of students. The present study examined the effectiveness of an intensive, small-group, long-term orientation to university PTOBTBIR One hundred and eleven first-year students were assigned to either an intervention-discussion group, or a questionnaire-only control group. ln August, before coming to university, all participants completed measures including social support, self-esteem, perceived stress, depression and questions assessing demographic information. Those in the discussion group were assigned to one of six groups, which met regularly for 9 weeks for 90-minute sessions. During the meetings, topics focused on creating and …

Participatory Action Research Learning Involving Women Who Have Developmental Challenges, Barbara Diane Weaver Zupko

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Participatory Action Research Learning (PARL) is both a logical and effective tool for addressing the issue of violence against women who have developmental challenges. Lack of power and lack of credibility have been identified as two important risk factors that make women with challenges more vulnerable to violence. Research that aims to address issues of violence and abuse therefore must also address issues of power and credibility. In this document I describe how a group of stakeholders, including four women who have developmental challenges, worked together on a project to create resources for prevention of, and education about, violence against …

Center For Psychological Studies 1999-2000 Catalog, Nova Southeastern University

College of Psychological Services / College of Psychology Postgraduate Student and Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

School Of Social And Systemic Studies Catalog 1999-2000, Nova Southeastern University

College of Psychological Services / College of Psychology Postgraduate Student and Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Expectations Of Performance And Gender Differences In Visual And Spatial Abilities, Brigit A. Shanholtzer

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

There is a significant body of evidence suggesting that males have better spatial abilities than females Most research has focused on genetic explanations for these differences in abilities This study asked whether social factors or expectations play a role in producing the observed differences. A spatial perceptual test (from the Kit of Factor-Referenced Cognitive Tests) consisting of four subtests, The Card Rotations test, Cube Comparisons test, Paper Folding test, and Surface Development test, was given to I 07 participants ( 48 females and 59 males). These tests are designed to measure visual and spatial abilities. The participants were divided into …

Is There A Need For Speed? : Risky Driving Behaviour And Young Male Drivers : A Review Of The Literature, Catherine A. Ferguson

Theses : Honours

Young male drivers have been identified as a high risk for Motor Vehicle Accident. This paper reviews three components for accident risk: the driving environment, society and individual factors associated with accident histories. Possible predictors for identifying young men at risk for accident involvement are driving behaviour, driving attitude and sensation seeking. Protective factors to reduce the incidence of risky driving in youth might include legal restrictions, increased education and training. The paper recommends that future research tests the above predictors for a relationship with accident involvement in young men.

Children's Reactions To Aggressive And Submissive Peers, Natalie Honey

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to investigate children's attitudes towards aggressive and submissive peers. A 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design was used to test the hypotheses. The three between-subjects variables were (a) the label given to the target child (aggressive/submissive) in a vignette, (b) the nature of the behaviour displayed in a critical incident (aggressive/nonaggressive response) as described in a vignette, and (c) the sex of the participants. A sample of 169 Year 6 and 7 students was divided into four groups containing at least 20 girls and 20 boys. A survey was administered to measure the …

Self-Focus, Self-Schemata, And Self-Complexity: Relationship To Depression, Nathan Andrew Mascaro

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Functions Of Groups: A Psychometric Analysis Of The Group Resources Inventory, Donelson R. Forsyth, Timothy R. Elliott, Josephine A. Welsh

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

What do groups do for their members? A functional model that assumes groups satisfy a number of basic survival, psychological, informational, interpersonal, and collective needs is offered. The authors examined the comprehensiveness of the model by asking members of various types of naturally occurring groups to describe the benefits they gained through membership. Analysis of those descriptions identified 16 key interpersonal functions of groups (such as social comparison, social exchange, social control, social esteem, social identity, and social learning), and individuals' evaluations of the quality of their group were systematically related to their ratings of the group's functionality. The authors …