Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Use Of The Transdisciplinary Teaming Approach For Early Intervention Service Delivery In Kentucky, David Taylor

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study was conducted to determine the extent to which the transdisciplinary teaming approach is being utilized in early intervention programs serving infants and toddlers birth through three years in the state of Kentucky. Information was gathered through a survey mailed to intervention agencies in Kentucky. Of the 65 agencies to whom surveys were sent, 30 were considered usable and analyzed. The largest percentage of surveys were completed by respondents working in a coordinator's position with an educational level of at least a bachelor's degree. Results of the study indicated that programs are not fully utilizing the transdisciplinary teaming model …

The Peer Status Of Gifted Children Across Educational Settings, Angela Cunningham

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Although previous studies have examined the peer status of gifted students in upper elementary grades, very little is known about the social status and peer acceptance of gifted children in the lower elementary grades (k-3). In the present study, the researcher compared the peer status of teacher nominated gifted kindergarten children to that of their non-gifted classmates on measures of peer acceptance and social status. Also compared was the peer status of gifted children in the lower elementary grades (1-3) within the regular classroom and an enrichment classroom on measures of peer acceptance and social status. Results indicate that gifted …

Things That Go Bump In The Night: An Examination Of Magical Thinking In Young Children, Elizabeth Easton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Past research has shown that children as young as age 3 years are able to distinguish the difference between mental entities and real objects (Estes, Wellman, & Woolley, 1989). Yet, many children still display persistent fears of imaginary creatures, which they claim are not real. In the present study, a replication-extension of P. Harris, E. Brown, C. Marriott, S. Whittall, and S. Harmer (1991), the researcher examined children's perceptions of imaginary creatures through a brief interview. Children were asked to pretend there existed either a monster or a rabbit in one of two large boxes. Children were then left alone …

Reliability And Validity Of The Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test For Children With Hearing Impairments, Erin Richardson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This researcher investigated the reliability and validity of the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT) for a hearing-impaired population. The subjects consisted of 15 hearing-impaired children between the ages of five and eight who are are enrolled in special education programs for the hearing-impaired. Three week test-retest reliability coefficients were moderate to high for all subtests (.65 to .89) and high for all scales and the total score (.88 to .96). Intracorrelations support the structure of the UNIT in that subtests demonstrated high correlations with the scale they were purported to represent. Concurrent validity was assessed with the Naglieri Draw-A-Person (DAP) …

Within-Session Changes In The Vi Response Function: Separating Food Density From Elapsed Session Time, James Dougan, Laura Campbell

Scholarship

Previous studies examining the relationship between response rate and reinforcement rate on variable- interval schedules (the variable-interval response function) have confounded elapsed session time with within-session changes in food density. The present experiments attempted to manipulate these factors independently and thus isolate their effects on responding. In Experiment 1, 7 rats pressed a bar for food on a series of four variable-interval schedules (7.5 s, 15 s, 30 s, and 480 s). Elapsed session time was held constant while food density was manipulated via a presession feeding. Changes in food density altered the form of the variable-interval response function, independently …

From Realist To Constructivist Theory In Public Administration: Development Of A Quality Perspective, Ernest Edward Sides Iii

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The purpose of this study is to formulate a behavioral theory of public organization development and administration that replaces positivism with constructivism as its underlying paradigm. This study contends that the level of maturity with respect to quality is a function of the degree to which an organization's latent thinking and conceptualization has advanced toward constructivism. The underlying thesis is that public administration and organization behavior stems from multiple realities not possible under positivism. Efficiency is not an appropriate criterion for analysis under the tenants of constructivism and should be replaced with quality as a criterion.

The use of quality …

The Effects Of Multiple Monitors And Knowledge Of Results On Vigilance Performance And Mental Workload, Peter John Ceplenski

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present laboratory study examined the impact of knowledge of results (KR) with multiple monitors on vigilance performance and mental workload. Previous studies have shown that multiple monitors and KR both have positive effects on performance. In addition, KR has been shown to attenuate the vigilance decrement, and reduce subjective ratings of mental workload. Social facilitory effects were e..pected to increase arousal for monitors working in pairs on a vigilance task and result in better performance compared to monitors working individually. Also, the social interaction between monitors working in pairs was expected to lower ratings of subjective workload. Subjects monitored …

Hardiness And Sensation Seeking As Potential Moderating Variables In The Stress-Illness Relationship, William N. Campbell Jr.

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

One hundred and fifteen undergraduate psychology students participated in a study designed primarily to investigate the personality styles characterized by "hardiness" and "sensation seeking" as potential moderators in the stress illness relationship. Subjects completed inventories measuring life-event stress, perceived stress, and illness experienced during the previous year, as well as questionnaires measuring hardiness, sensation seeking, and maladjustment. Correlation analysis revealed significant positive relationships between life-event stress and illness and perceived stress and illness as well as a significant negative relationship between hardiness and maladjustment.

Multiple regression analyses showed that life-event stress, perceived stress, and the two measures used together significantly …

The Influence Of Work Environment, Perpetrator Power And Victim Characteristics On The Occurrence Of And Response To Sexual Harassment In The Workplace, Cynthia J. Maahs

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The current study developed and tested a model of sexual harassment that encompasses characteristics of the work environment, perpetrator, and victim. The impact of four characteristics of the work environment—organizational tolerance for sexual harassment, gender ratios, gender communication, and gender of the supervisor— on the occurrence of sexual harassment and the victim's response was examined. The moderating influence of victim age, job dependency, education level, ethnicity, gender, and marital status on the occurrence of sexual harassment was also examined. Results indicated that organizational tolerance for sexual harassment and gender of the supervisor predicted the occurrence of harassment. Sexual harassment significantly …

Predictive Value Of Apgar Scores When Developmental Rates Are Established: An Elimination Of Corrections For Prematurity, Daniel M. Phillips Iii

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the relationship between Apgar scores and developmental delay after eliminating corrections for prematurity. Developmental assessments were taken at six and twelve months-of-age using the Clinical Adaptive Test (CAT) and the Clinical Linguistic and Auditory Milestone Scale (CLAMS). From these assessments, a rate of cognitive-developmental growth was established. Developmental rates then were used to predict developmental age when the infants were 17 months of age. The subjects were 52 preterm infants (gestational age< 32 weeks), who had moderate to severe I-minute and/or 5-minute Apgar scores. One- and 5-minute Apgar scores, grouped by moderate to severe range separately, were compared to developmental age assessments utilizing developmental rates and two existing methods of correction. No significant differences were found in CAT, CLAMS, and combined CAT/CLAMS developmental assessment means based on Apgar group. The Developmental Rates method, however, was significantly correlated with and predicted developmental outcome at 17 months of age. These findings suggest that Developmental Rates are a more accurate method of developmental age assessment and prediction.

A Bio-Cybernetic System For Regulating Operator Engagement In An Adaptively Automated, Multi-Task Flight Environment, Lawrence J. Prinzel Iii

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

A bio-cybemetic, closed-loop system was validated for use in an adaptively automated environment. Subjects were asked to perform either one task or three tasks from the MAT battery. EEG was continuously sampled while they performed the task and an EEG index was derived (20 beta/alpha + theta). The system made allocation decisions based upon the level of operator engagement as determined by the EEG index. The NASA-TLX was administered after each trial. The results of the study demonstrated that it was possible to moderate an operator's level of engagement through a closed-loop system driven by the operator's EEG. It also …

Development Of A Cross Generational Measure Of Altruism, Paul G. Schloemer

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

A self-report measure designed to assess altruism across the life span was developed and evaluated. Participants in the design phase of the study included 76 adults ages 18 to 25, 57 fifth grade students, and 65 second grade students. Participants in the confirmation phase of the study were 34 adults ages 18 to 25, 18 fifth grade students, and 14 second grade students. A positive significant correlation was found between the life span measure of altruism and a corroborative measure for the fifth graders. A significant correlation between life span. measure of altruism and a corroborative measure was not found …

Attentional Processing Of Visual Stimuli: What Makes A Face A Face?, Samuel L. Chapman

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Reaction time (RT) and accuracy have been used to investigate the manner in which humans process visual stimuli for many years. Some researchers have found evidence of serial processing (e.g., Sternberg, 1969a) while others have shown that some visual stimuli are processed in parallel (e.g., Neisser, 1963). There have been very few studies investigating the processing of schematic faces with respect to RT and accuracy. The present study investigates the mechanisms associated with the recognition of schematic faces with respect to RT and accuracy.

Forty-two Old Dominion University students were shown a target face for ten seconds and were then …

Conjunctive Decisions In A Paper-And-Pencil Task, Tracy A. Bean

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Many situations can have a significant effect on response time. Some situations affecting response time require union decisions - decisions based on the 'or' rule. The Hick-Hyman law, as well as Sternberg's linear relationship, are based on union decisions. Most situations in the real world, however, are based on intersection or 'conjunctive' decisions - decisions based on the 'and' rule. The relationship between conjunctive decisions and reaction time is examined in the present research. One question this study attempted to answer is whether there is a functional relationship between mean response time and display size.

The study consisted of 139 …

The Effects Of Fragrance Instructional Set, And Boredom Proneness On Performance In A Vigilance Task, Sheryl Lynn Roberts

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of fragrance upon vigilance performance, stress, and workload. The role of subjects' expectations and boredom proneness upon vigilance performance were also examined.

All subjects were assessed for fatigue, workload, and boredom proneness. Subjects were then randomly assigned to conditions based upon fragrance and instructional set. One group of subjects was given Peppermint enhanced air and the other was given unscented air. Half of the subjects in each group were told that the fragrance or air would help their performance, while the other subjects were told nothing about the effects …

The Relationship Among Self-Reported Aggression, Locus Of Control, Expectancy For Success, And Dream Content, Stephen James Mccullough

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between elements of two dream content analysis systems, and between dream content variables and self-report measures. One hundred and five college students from two universities in Virginia completed the following self-report measures: Generalized Expectancy for Success Scale (Fibel & Hale, 1978), Internal Control Index (Duttweiler, 1984), Conflict Tactics Scale (Straus, 1979), Verbal Aggressiveness Scale (Infante & Wigley, 1986), and Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis & Spencer, 1982). They recorded any dreams they could remember over the subsequent three weeks in a dream journal. Only the data of participants who reported five or more dreams were included …

The Association Between Perceived Family Support And Psychological Well-Being In Infertile Couples, Linda Marquardt Mintle

Health Services Research Dissertations

A correlational research design utilizing a cross-sectional survey methodology was used to investigate the association between perceived family support and psychological well-being in infertile couples. Family stress theory and the construct of boundary ambiguity were conceptual frameworks applied to the developmental family life cycle. Respondents were 35 married infertile couples with primary infertility recruited from a private For-profit infertility clinic located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Responses on the Moos and Moos (1984) Family Environment Scale and from the SCL-90-R developed by Derogatis (1977) measured perceived family support and psychological distress respectively. Major findings indicated that infertile couples rated their families …

Factor Structure Of The Field Edition Of The Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised, Jon S. Bos

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

A series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted for the field edition of the Leiter International Performance Scale-Revised (Leiter-R). The sample for the field edition of the Leiter-R was divided into 3 age groups (2-5, 6-11, 12-21 years old) for this series of analyses. Two factors were identified for the youngest age group (2-5 years), three factors were identified for the second age group (6-11 years old), and five factors were identified for the third age group (12-21 years old). These shifts in the factor structure of the test provide evidence for the age differentiation hypothesis. Implications for …

Concurrent Validation Of The Affective Scale Of The Diagnostic Assessment For The Severely Handicapped (Dash) Scale, Richard R. Ostrom

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Sixty-nine severely and profoundly retarded clients in a residential setting, each of whom could ambulate without staff assistance, were administered the Diagnostic Assessment for the Severely Handicapped (DASH) Scale. Three groups of 23 were selected based on previous psychiatric diagnosis and matched for social age. The group with no psychiatric diagnosis served as the nominal control. The second group contained a mix of non-affective psychiatric diagnoses. The third group contained clients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. A one-way analysis of variance was conducted. The data demonstrated the DASH effectively discriminated clients with bipolar disorder from those without psychiatric as …

Design Of Social Experiments, Christopher J. O'Leary, Robert G. Spiegelman

Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of A Realistic Job Preview On An Applicant's Ability To Self-Select Into Organizations, Melissa Lynn Burton

Dissertations and Theses

In typical selection processes organizations gather information about an applicant. Rarely, however, do applicants collect equal information about the job or organization. This unequal exchange can inhibit an applicant's participation in the selection process. Studies have shown that realistic job previews (RJPs) positively influence applicants' job expectations, job satisfaction, turnover, self-selection, etc. Applicant self-selection can benefit both the organization and the applicant in terms of time, money, and energy required during the selection process and after organizational entry.

The purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between RJPs and self-selection. The study assessed the influence of a …

The Effect Of Psychological Gender And Self-Monitoring On Leader Emergence And Leader Behavior, Janet Day Goldsmith

Dissertations and Theses

Leadership has traditionally been associated with masculine sex-type characteristics. Feminine characteristics have been undervalued or even viewed as a liability. One result of this is a diminished number of women in leadership roles.

Masculine sex-typed characteristics, such as self-reliance, assertiveness and analysis are associated with task-oriented behavior or a production emphasis. However, organizational research has shown that the most effective leaders engage in not only task-oriented behavior but also relationship-oriented behavior. Consideration for employees, or relationship-oriented behavior, has been associated with feminine sex-type characteristics (e.g., compassionate, loyal, and understanding). Thus research indicates that, contrary to popular belief, an individual who …

The Origins Of Caring: A Study Of The Development Of Coding Categories For Prosocial Behaviors In Very Young Children, Mark W. Schuster

Dissertations and Theses

There has a great deal of research regarding the positive social (prosocial) behaviors of young children. Children have been observed performing a number of different prosocial behaviors, including helping, showing, sharing, and responding to the distress of another. However, most of the previous research was conducted in laboratory settings. In order to describe the first manifestations of prosocial behaviors more accurately, research needs to be conducted in a natural setting. The purpose of the current study was to observe the origins of the prosocial behaviors of young children in a child development center. To accomplish this goal, a research team …

Mirror Use By African Grey Parrots (Psittacus Erithacus), Irene M. Pepperberg, Sean E. Garcia, Eric C. Jackson, Sharon Marconi

Sentience Collection

No abstract provided.

Lesbian Identity Development And Career Experiences, Mary Jo Thiel

Dissertations

This study used a qualitative research design to explore the experiences of lesbian women with respect to identity development and career issues.

Using the Stage Allocation Measure (SAM) (Cass, 1984), twenty lesbian women who were in the Synthesis Stage (Stage 6) of identity development were identified. In face-to-face, one and a half to two hour interviews, using a semi-structured interview guide developed by the researcher, respondents were asked open-ended questions about their coming out process and their career development .

Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed and the transcripts were analyzed using grounded theory coding techniques. Themes and patterns were …

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Parents Of Traumatic Brain Injury Patients, Carol Farr

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) produces cognitive, behavioral, and affective deficits with resulting problems such as improper social behavior, increased aggression, emotional, personality and characterological changes. The impact upon the survivor, the sibling, as well as the parental subsystem has been well documented in the literature. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been diagnosed in several different types of trauma survivors, although rarely have individual psychological symptoms been studied in parents.

This research examined the possible vulnerability factors that are associated with TBI and their potential influence upon PTSD symptomology. Questionnaires were mailed to 266 parents of TBI patients with a response …

Attachment And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Severity In Physically And Sexually Abused Adolescents, Lauren Woods

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The relationship between symptoms associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and attachment was assessed. All students (n=109) at a residential school were screened for a history of physical or sexual abuse. Thirty-seven subjects who reported such a history, ranging in age from 11 to 19, were assessed using the Children’s Post-Traumatic Stress Reaction Index (CPTSD-RI), Bell Object Relations and Reality Testing Inventory (BORRTI), Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS), and Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI). Results indicate that attachment difficulties were common in this sample and that current diagnostic criteria for PTSD did not …

Examination Of Knowledge And Attitudes About Human Sexuality As Predictors Of Adolescent Sexual Behavior, Diane Waymire

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study investigated the variables influencing adolescent sexual behavior. Using cognitive learning theory, social learning theory, and social development as an organizing framework, factors influencing adolescent sexual behavior and the respondent's personal demographics were examined for their contribution to explaining adolescent decision-making about sexual activity.

A convenience sample of high school students from a Riverside county school district provided data for the study. Data was gathered by using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 55 students from two of the three school sites within the district participated in the study during the winter quarter of 1995.

The findings of the …

Identification Of Variables Influencing Women's Breast Cancer Detection, Sherri Duckworth Kemp

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study investigated the variables influencing women's breast cancer detection behavior. Using social learning theory as an organizing framework. factors influencing women's decisions to seek breast cancer detection and the respondent's personal demographics were examined for their contribution to explaining women's decisions to seek breast cancer detection.

A [convience] sample from a university medical center provided data for the study. Data were gathered with a voluntary questionnaire. A total of 25 employees from the medical center participated in the study during the winter quarter of 1994.

The findings of the study provide insight into some of the variables affecting women's …

Students Against Driving Drunk (Sadd): Testing The Organization's Effects On Students' Behavior And Attitudes Toward Alcohol Use, William Post Jr.

Masters Theses

This research examines the influence of Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) chapters on the reported behavior and attitudes towards alcohol use of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students in 208 public school districts in Michigan. This research is conducted at the intersection of social movement theory coupled with self-help group issues; theoretical approaches to explaining adolescent alcohol use; and SADD's etiological assumptions about adolescent alcohol use as derived from the organization's activities. These lead to comparing two types of SADD chapters (active and inactive) to school districts without SADD chapters, using students' (N=92,257) responses to the Michigan Alcohol and Other …