Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Spiritual Autobiographies: Sacred And Secular Explorations Of The Self, Ellen Delacey-Hathaway

Whittier Scholars Program

This project explains the contextual history of conversion and self discovery within literary and spiritual components. This research focuses on the exploration of the relationship of spiritual autobiography to secular autobiography and highlights any of the obvious or subtle differences between the two sub-genres. This study examines ideas presented in William James’ Varieties of Religious Experience and applying questions raised by James and other studies to demonstrate the essential similarities between secular and spirituality autobiography by showing threads of commonality between Henry Adams’ The Education of Henry Adams, Thomas Merton’s Seven Storey Mountain, and Saint Augustine’s Confessions.

The Effectiveness Of Group Counseling On Adolescents, Jennifer Deitch-Pepperell

Whittier Scholars Program

This project consists of a literature review, a study of group counseling effects on adolescents aged 12-18, and personal observations. This literature review will discuss the effectiveness of group counseling on adolescents while discussing the different typesof group counseling and their effects. This study also examines a key theory developed by James Garland ultimately concluding that group counseling is beneficial to adolescents at any level of development.

Exemplary Approach To Operationalizing Psychoanalytic Theory And Religion: Commentary On “The Relationship Of God Image To Level Of Object Relations Development”, Nancy S. Thurston

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

The Reliability And Validity Of An Object Assembly Task, Dane'l A. Koonce

Masters Theses

A computerized object assembly task (COA) was constructed and compared to the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) object assembly subtest (OA). The two tasks, the COA and the OA, were administered to seventy-one college undergraduates. The correlation between the WAIS-R OA subtest and the two COA conditions, Preview and NoPreview, combined was moderate and statistically significant. The findings support the feasibility of constructing a computerized version of the OA task.

Comparison Of High School Adolescents And Court Ordered Adolescents On Perception Of Parental Unconditional Love: A Short Pilot Study, Wanda Sandy Reid

Masters Theses

This project was conducted to determine if a difference exists in the perception of parental unconditional love between a group of high school students and a similar group of court ordered adolescents.

The subjects were fifty high school age students and fifty court ordered individuals ranging in age from eleven to eighteen.

The subjects were asked to complete a ten-question instrument with a response scale of one to seven. When the data was analyzed, the scale was reduced from seven to three in order to make the data more meaningful.

The results show that there was not a significant difference …

Burnout And Job Dissatisfaction Among Practicing Illinois School Psychologists, Kathryn M. Niebrugge

Masters Theses

Survey materials including a Maslach Burnout Inventory, a School Psychologists Stress Inventory, and specially designed demographic and job satisfaction questionnaires were completed by a random sample of members of the Illinois School Psychologists Association (N=139). Results suggested that symptoms of burnout frequently occur among this group of professionals. Although job related stressors (e.g. lack of resources, time management) were related to burnout, demographic factors (e.g. satisfaction with supervision, case discrepancy index) were found to be the best predictors of burnout. Results suggest that supervising psychologists are considered to be primary figures in resistance to burnout. Further research could aid in …

An Evaluation Of Pre-Intake Attention On Kept Intake Appointments In An Outpatient Setting, Lauren Roberts

Masters Theses

The present study attempted to reduce the no-show rate for scheduled intake appointments at a local CMHC through the use of two interventions. Thirty-seven subjects who called for an intake appointment were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: an Orientation and Standard Intake Procedure or an Orientation and Modified Intake Procedure. Both treatment groups were compared to a Base Group consisting of intake appointments scheduled during the same time period the previous year. Individuals assigned to OMIP revealed a reduction in the no-show rate from 51% during baseline to 36%. Individuals assigned to OSIP did not reveal similar …

Perceived Differences In Family Characteristics Among Women Exhibiting Varying Levels Of Eating Disorders, Emily K. Altemus

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Selective Antinociceptive Effect Of Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists In Intact And Acute Spinal Rats, Darla M. Rutherford

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Types Of Stress Associated With The Onset Of Panic Disorder And Social Phobia, Diana L. Johnson '94

Honors Projects

The present study examined the association of different types of stress with the onset of both panic disorder and social phobia. Twenty-three subjects who met the DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder and twenty-three subjects who met the DSM-III-R criteria for social phobia were matched on the variables of sex, race, level of education, and time of retrospection. Data related to circumstances surrounding onset were. collected from semi-structured initial diagnostic interviews. Descriptions of the circumstances were then rated and classified by blind independent raters into categories of no stress/stress, conditional stressor/background stress, and evaluation related stress/not evaluation related stress. Results indicated …

Developmental Factors In Visual Search: The Inhibition Deficit Hypothesis In A Feature-Integration Task, Stacy M. Forbes '94

Honors Projects

One of the most robust findings in cognitive functioning is that the elderly are more easily distracted by irrelevant information. This inhibition-deficit hypothesis may be useful in explaining older adults' deficits in visual search tasks. Treisman's Feature Integration Theory suggests that there are two ways to visually process information: parallel processing, an automatic process that does not require directed attention, and serial processing, which does. This study provides evidence for the role of inhibitory processes (and therefore frontal lobe involvement) in serial, but not parallel search. Six and ten year old children, undergraduate students, and elderly subjects participated in the …

The Implications Of Cognitive Change In The Treatment Of Panic Disorder With Agoraphobia, Lisa M. Nowak '94

Honors Projects

This study was an extension of a previous study done by Spiegel, Bruce, Falkin-Gregg, and Nuzzarello (in press), the latter of which tested whether cognitive behavior therapy assisted alprazolam discontinuation in panic disorder patients. The focus of cognitive behavior therapy in relation to benzodiazepine discontinuation placed great emphasis on changing cognitive biases during th~ treatment process. The present study investigated whether groups differed on cognitive factors associated with panic disorder (e,g. catastrophic misinterpretations, sensitivity to bodily sensations, and a feeling of lack of control over emotions and situations) and whether that change predicted discontinuation. The results showed the alprazolam plus …

A Pilot Study On The Use Of Alprazolam-Assisted Exposure And Response Prevention In Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Julie A. Reinlasoder '94

Honors Projects

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a behavior disorder characterized by recurrent, intense thoughts and repetitive ritualistic acts. Treatments for obsessive compulsive disorder typically consist of either exposure and response prevention or pharmacotherapy. particularly benzodiazepines. Combinations of these two types of treatment could lead to three possible outcomes. First, the combination of exposure and response prevention and benzodiazepines may show no better results than exposure and response prevention alone. Second, combination therapy may result in a better effect than exposure and response prevention alone--the drug will decrease anxiety during exposure without increasing the relapse rate after treatment. Third, combination therapy could have worse …

The Inhibition-Deficit Hypothesis: A Possible Neurological Mechanism For Age-Related Changes In The Formation Of Problem-Solving Set, Elizabeth J. Meinz '94

Honors Projects

In the process of problem-solving, a limiting of possible solutions often occurs which causes subjects to prematurely narrow their problem-solving options. This tendency is called problem-solving set. It is possible that there is an underlying neurological mechanism which regulates this process. It has been shown that the frontal lobes play a role in the inhibition of irrelevant information, suggesting that they may be involved in the formation of set. Because the frontal lobes are suspected to degenerate somewhat with age, the elderly may have less of a tendency towards problem-solving set than young adults. In the current study, set was …

The Effect Of Premium Offers And Consumer Buying Decisions, Amy R. Parker '94

Honors Projects

Premiums programs are common promotional tools, but have received very little empirical study. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of a premium program done by Beer Nuts, Inc. A mail survey was sent to the first 250 respondents to the premium offer. Results indicate that most of the respondents were previous Beer Nuts consumers, would switch brands to receive a premium, would pay more for a product to obtain a premium, will continue to purchase the product after receiving the premium, and will use cents-off coupons. Additionally, results show that the average premium consumer is …

Behavior And Thought Change After A Self-Improvement Program: Studying The Effects Of Environmental And Other Factors On The Transfer Of Training, Jennifer Bernstein '94

Honors Projects

This study tested the attitude-behavior relationship and transfer of training on a specific training program -The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. It is a self-improvement program designed to improve. such things as: interpersonal relationships, time management skills, and concentrating only on what one can change. The subjects were 84 BroMenn Healthcare employees signed up to take the training program. Both groups were given a pre-and post-test consisting of four parts: one's behaviors and thoughts (including questions on locus of control), countertraining, and two parts of the Personal Strain Questionnaire. It was found that a low pre-test countertraining score did …

Burnout, Social Support, And Coping In Crisisline Volunteers, Lisa Beal '94

Honors Projects

This study examined the relationship among burnout, social support, and coping in volunteers. In this study, 30 volunteers from Rape Crisis Center of Bloomington, Illinois, anonymously completed four questionnaires: the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the UCLA Social Support Inventory, a coping survey, and a demographic survey. The Maslach Burnout Inventory contains three subscales, Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishment. A question is asked on the demographic questionnaire regarding the respondent's perception of the turnover rate among the volunteers of the group. This response was correlated with the three subscales of the burnout measure in order to establish if perception of turnover …

An Investigation Of A Shift In Thought Content In Sexual Dysfunction, Marygrace E. Yale '94

Honors Projects

The present study was an extension of a study by Bruce, Barlow, and Jones (1989), and examined whether a cognitive shift from on-to-off-task thought occurred during sexual arousal, accounting for dysfunctional performance. This study examined the thought content and sexual response of sexually functional (SFs; N = 10) and sexually dysfunctional (SDSi N = 10) subjects during three levels of distraction, (no distraction, first level of distraction and second level of distraction). As hypothesized, under no distraction, SFs exhibited the highest level of sexual arousal and greatest number of on-task thoughts. As distraction increased, SFs showed a decrease in sexual …

The Effect Of Exposure To Glucocorticoids On The Retention Of A Spatial Task In Rats Injected Bilaterally With Beta-Amyloid Into The Hippocampus, Harinie Wijeweera '94

Honors Projects

The pathology of Alzheimer's disease is characterized by neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. The core component of the plaques is an amino acid named Beta-amyloid (AB). A recent study done by Dornan, Kang, McCampbell, and Kang (1993) reported that bilateral injections of AB along with a subthreshold dose of ibotenic acid (IBO) into the hippocampus significantly impaired the acquisition of a spatial learning task in rats. Dornan et al suggest that the results seen in their study maybe due to AB+IBO working synergistically via NMDA receptors to cause calcium dyshomeostasis. Another way that calcium dyshomeostasis occurs in the brain is …

Toward An Understanding Of Alzheimer's Disease: The Effects Of B-Amyloid(1-42) And Ibotenic Acid On The Retention Of A Spatial Learning Task In Rats F:Ollowing Multiple Injections Into The Hippocampus, Jason Pequette '94

Honors Projects

Neuropathologically, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Evidence has suggested that a protein called B-amyloid (BA) is a major component of the neuritic plaques and may playa role in the neurodegeneration seen in AD. The cellular mechanisms by which BA induces neurotoxicity, however, are still unclear. Recent evidence suggests that the aggregational state of BA may be relevant to its neurotoxicity. Whether portions of the BA protein or the entire sequence produces neurotoxicity in neurons, however, remains a controversy. Still another controversy is whether BA is directly neurotoxic to neurons or whether it increases the …

Age Declines In Memory Self-Efficacy: General Or Limited To Particular Tasks And Measure?, Robin Lea West, Jane M. Berry

Psychology Faculty Publications

The potential for lifelong learning has been demonstrated clearly in research on problem solving, prose recall, and other measures of mental skill (Reese & Puckett, 1993; Sinnott, 1989). However, there are factors that may serve as barriers to lifelong learning for older adults (see Arenberg, chapter 23 in this volume). Among others, these factors include age changes in attentional or memory capacity (e.g., Salthouse, 1991), declines in memory self-confidence or change in memory beliefs (e.g., Berry, West & Dennehy, 1989), and reduced opportunities for education and training (e.g., Rebok & Offermann, 1983). This chapter focuses on self-report or subjective beliefs …

In Slime And Darkness: The Metaphor Of Filth In Criminal Justice, Martha Grace Duncan

Faculty Articles

An article such as this one, which seeks to examine the labyrinthine chains of meanings that we associate with illegal behavior, cries out for an interdisciplinary approach. Specifically, it demands a source that can reveal our unconscious as well as our conscious associations. Such a source is classical literature -- works of fiction that, by virtue of being read and loved through centuries and across continents, have proven their capacity to strike a responsive chord in their readers. Therefore, in Part II of this Article, I employ the classics, supplemented by occasional examples from contemporary fiction, history, and theology, to …

Aids-Preventative Behaviors And The Psychological Costs Of Behavior Change, Howard Balshem

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the effects of behavior change on psychological health among gay and bisexual men of Portland, Oregon who were at risk for contracting AIDS. Cross-sectional self-reports of personal experiences were obtained in Summer, 1991. Sexual behaviors were used as predictors of self-efficacy, depression, anxiety, and subjective well-being. Adopting safer sexual behaviors was psychologically more costly than continuing to engage in high risk behaviors, or long-term adherence to safer behaviors. Behaviors amenable to short-term change differed from those conducive to long-term maintenance. Behavior change was also found to have a beneficial effect on self-efficacy.

These findings suggest that behavior …

Development Of The Concept Of Salvation In The Argentinean And Paraguayan Seventh-Day Adventist Children And Adolescents From Ages 6 To 17 Years, Victor Andrés Korniejczuk

Dissertations

Problem. Research is lacking on how the concept of salvation develops in children and adolescents from Christian religious populations. the purpose of this study was to explore how the concept of salvation develops in Argentinean and Paraguayan Seventh-day Adventist children and adolescents, from a psychological perspective.

Method. Using a developmental, cross-sectional design, semiclinical interviews were conducted with 120 Argentinean and Paraguayan children, ages 6 to 17, to assess the development of the concept and assurance of salvation. Subjects also completed (1) a semantic differential scale, which measured their attitudes toward salvation (ATS), (2) a demographic and religious practices information survey, …

Perceptions Of Nurse Behaviors By Persons With Copd During Acute Shortness Of Breath, Joyce A. Kowatch

Masters Theses

This study employed a qualitative approach to explore the perceptions of clients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease recalling nursing behaviors as a part of a process of helping during dyspnea. Grounded theory was used to look at how a client's world was constructed in this particular situation. Examination of data led to the generation of a hypothesis to explain the process of helping. Subjects were asked what it was like when they were extremely short of breath and what nursing behaviors helped or didn't help them.; Identified changes were categorized as suffocation, pain, energy depletion, panic, and cognitive haze. Helpful …

Spouse Adaptation After The Partner's Open Heart Surgery, Marietta J. Gardner

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to describe the adaptation of male and female spouses after their partners' open heart surgery using the theory of person as an adaptive system. A descriptive correlational design was used to examine adaptation of male and female spouses to their partners' open heart surgery (criterion variable); and partners' health prior to surgery, length of time partner diagnosed with heart disease, number of years married, and general state of marital relationship prior to surgery as perceived by the spouse were predictor variables. The sample consisted of 20 male and 25 female spouses, 31 to 88 …

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator And Marital Satisfaction: Similarity And Complementarity, Glenda Sue Sullentrup

Theses

Many personality variables determine marital satisfaction. According to Myers theory (1993), couples are more likely to experience marital satisfaction if the spouses share similarity on the second preference of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI], the sensing-intuition [S-N] index. In contrast, Keirsey and Bates (1984) proposed that opposite MBTI types attract, but opposite temperaments do not. The purpose of this study was to determine whether similarity (having the same preference on the S-N index, or the same temperament) or complementarity (having opposite preferences on the S-N index, or opposite temperaments) was related to marital satisfaction among couples. Thirty-one white married couples …

Mother-Daughter Rapport And Its Relationship To The Daughter's Self-Esteem, Deborah L. Stilwell-Boyer

Theses

The relationship between mother-daughter rapport and the daughter's self-esteem was examined for 36 women. All participants were women who volunteered to complete the Mother-Daughter Rapport Index and the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. The only requirement for a woman to participate in the study was that the subject's mother had to be living. Where it was predicted that there would be no relationship between quality of mother-daughter rapport and daughter's self-esteem, it was found that there was a relationship between the two. Where quality of mother-daughter rapport increased, the daughter's self-esteem also increased. Where quality of mother-daughter rapport decreased, the daughter's self-esteem …

Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Of Bulimia Nervosa, Lori J. Hikiji

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to define the term bulimia
nervosa as used in research literature, to present the cognitive and behavioral components of the disorder, and to review major controlled research studies based on Fairburn's (1985) cognitive-behavioral treatment of clients having bulimia nervosa.

An Ounce Of Prevention: The Life Stories And Perceptions Of Men Who Sexually Offended Against Children, Christiane Sadeler

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this study is to modify primary prevention models in child sexual abuse by incorporating the perceptions of men who sexually offended against children. In open-ended, conversational style interviews I asked 10 men, who are/were involved in self-help community based treatment groups at Community Justice Initiatives (CJI), Waterloo Region, to convey their understanding of how sexual abuse could have been prevented in their own lives, and can be prevented in our communities. The participants shared their views about prevention based on their experiences, and their interpretations of these experiences. I based the research results on the stories I …