Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Communicating With Graphic User Interfaces: A Comparison Of Menu Selection And Menu Bypass Techniques, Monty Lee Hammontree

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study was conducted in two phases to determine design tradeoffs relating to command bar menu and bypass code-based techniques for interacting with computers. Forty eight subjects participated. In the first phase of the experiment, mouse-, chorded key-, and function key-based menu selection techniques were compared. It was found that menus were accessed much faster with spatially mapped function keys as compared to chorded key sequences or mouse inputs, and that relative to mouse inputs compatible letter keys lead to faster command selection times. Further, the function key-based technique yielded the fastest combined access and selection times, the fastest …

Determinants Of Feedback-Seeking Behaviors, Melinda J. Montgomery

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present research was to evaluate the effects of the level of task difficulty, the value of the goal, and the amount of effort required to obtain feedback on the frequency of feedback-seeking behaviors (FSB). The design was a 2 (task difficulty) x 2 (goal value) x 2 (effort) x 3 (day) mixed model analysis of variance. Eighty undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of eight experimental conditions. Each participant played a computerized stock market game for three "days". Three types of referent feedback and three types of appraisal feedback were available. The results indicated that more …

A Program Evaluation Of The Welcome Baby Project: A Primary Prevention Program For Teenage Mothers And Their Infants, Susan A. Murdock

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The central purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Welcome Baby Project (WBP), a primary prevention program with the mission of promoting child development and a positive relationship between "at-risk" adolescent mothers and their infants and to prevent disorders of attachment, child abuse and neglect, and unwanted, repeat pregnancy. Intervention involved weekly home visits by trained parent volunteers for children from birth to two years.

The WBP mothers and a control group of adolescent mothers were compared on assessments collected during a home visit. Participants were asked to complete the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI), and the …

The Vertical Dyad Linkage Model & The Perception Of Task Characteristics, Kenneth Kolosh

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The present study addresses two competing leadership models, the Vertical Dyad Linkage (VDL) model and the Average Leadership Style (ALS) model. The VDL model states that supervisors treat subordinates differently depending on a variety of variables (e.g., the subordinates competency, skill, trustworthiness, etc.). The ALS model states that, on average, a supervisor treats all of his/her subordinates equally. This study raises two fundamental questions that pertain to both leadership models. First, does the VDL model or tile ALS model more accurately describe leadership behavior for the first line supervisor who is in charge of blue-collar subordinates? Second, is there a …

Kin Recognition In Vertebrates: What Do We Really Know About Adaptive Value?, Andrew R. Blaustein, Marc Bekoff, John A. Byers, Thomas J. Daniels

Sentience Collection

The ability of an animal to discriminate between kin and non-kin (kin recognition) has been the subject of numerous recent investigations. Grafen (Anim. Behav., 1990, 39, 42-54) recently reported that the evidence in support of kin recognition is weak and the data illustrating a preference for kin to associate in the laboratory may be more consistently explained as species recognition. It is suggested here, however, that in many cases it may be impossible to distinguish between species recognition and kin recognition, but in some cases, kin recognition seems apparent. It is also emphasized that very little is known about the …

The Effects Of Religious Orientation On Selective Exposure To Information Which Supports Or Contradicts One's Beliefs, James Warren Jr.

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

One hundred and two fundamentalist Christians were administered scales measuring three religious orientations (intrinsic and extrinsic religion and religion-as-quest) and selective exposure. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between the three orientations and selective exposure to religious information. Selective exposure was measured in three ways: Belief confirmation - seeking belief-supporting information; Selective avoidance - avoiding belief-contradicting information; and Differential exposure - seeking belief-confirming information while avoiding contradicting information. Results of this study indicate that both quest and intrinsic religion predict the desire to read belief-confirming information. For selective avoidance, only quest predicted willingness to read counter-attitudinal …

The Effects Of Immediate Versus Delayed Feedback On Error Detection Accuracy In A Quality Control Simulation, Matthew A. Mason

Masters Theses

A computer simulation was developed to examine the effects of immediate versus delayed visual feedback on the accuracy of identifying specified aberrations in sample stimuli. In a self-paced computer tutorial, subjects learned to identify particular aberrations in a schematic diagram of a hard disk drive. During experimental sessions, subjects were exposed to a series of 200 samples presented four at a time sequentially on a computer screen, and were required to indicate with a computer mouse whether or not each sample drive contained an aberration. Accuracy of error detection was assessed under four experimental conditions: (1) self-paced, immediate feedback; (2) …

The Effect Of A Conditioned Establishing Operations Procedure On Rats Responding On A Vi 30 Second Schedule For Sweetened Condensed Milk, Daniel James Knip

Masters Theses

Previous research on conditioned hunger paired food deprivation with a neutral stimulus. Amount of food eaten was typically the usual dependent variable, and the stimulus was visual, auditory or gustatory. The present study used rate of response as dependent variable, and paired an olfactory stimulus with food deprivation.

An experimental and control group each contained eight rats. Rate of bar pressing for sweetened condensed milk was the dependent measure. The experimental animals were then exposed to a vanilla scent during a period of extreme food deprivation. They were next allowed to bar press for liquid food under one hour of …

The Effects Of Quality Contingent Extrinsic Rewards On Intrinsic Motivation, Kimberly Ann Filler O'Connor

Masters Theses

Although many studies have shown that performance-contingent rewards increase performance quantity, few have examined whether quality contingent rewards increase quality. One objective of the present study was to determine whether quality contingent rewards would improve quality.

A second, independent objective was to determine whether extrinsic quality contingent rewards would decrease a person's intrinsic interest in and quality performance of a task following termination of those rewards. To date, no other studies have examined the effects of quality contingent rewards on intrinsic interest and quality performance.

The results indicated that quality performance-contingent rewards do improve quality. Quality contingent rewards increased quality …

Contrived Versus Natural Reinforcers In The Acquisition Of A Verbal Repertoire By Adult Learners, Lisa Ann Leblanc

Dissertations

Previous research suggests that by making classroom contingencies for verbal responding more like those in the natural environment, i.e., by using motivative variables to evoke verbal responses which are followed by specific actions on the part of listeners, verbal repertoires can be taught more effectively to children and language impaired individuals. The present study examines the role of specific versus generalized conditioned reinforcement following adult students' question-asking on the acquisition of a verbal repertoire in a classroom setting and on the generalization of this repertoire to a more natural verbal environment.

Subjects were 32 university students in two American Sign …

The Training Of Initial Behavioral Assessment Interview Skills, Mark J. Hirsch

Dissertations

Two manuals were used to train behavioral assessment interview skills. The first manual outlined eleven initial responses the therapist must make to determine the controlling variables related to a client’s problem. The second manual outlined strategies for dealing with evasive or nonappropriate responses made by a client. Subjects were graduate students from the psychology department of Western Michigan University who had no experience in conducting assessment interviews. Six subjects participated. Simulated therapy sessions between subjects acting as therapists and confederates acting as clients were conducted. Scripts were utilized to standardize confederate responses. Each session dealt with a clinical concern amenable …

Effects Of Training Method On Inspector Accuracy In A Simulated Quality Control Task, Cathy L. Thorne

Dissertations

This study compared the effects of three training programs on inspector accuracy. The inspection task required 38 subjects to detect errors in geometric figures. All three training programs provided the same written descriptions of correct and incorrect figures, and all three training programs provided examples of correct figures. What differed among the programs was the type of incorrect figures. Individuals assigned to the Correct Sample Only Group were not shown any incorrect figures. Individuals assigned to the Critical Differences Group were shown incorrect figures which contained only one error at a time. Individuals assigned to the Multiple Differences Group were …

The Effects Of Mephenytoin On Schedule-Controlled Responding In The Pigeon, Victoria Mary Pellettiere

Masters Theses

Acute and chronic effects of mephenytoin (30 - 360 mg/kg) were examined in pigeons responding under a multiple fixed-ratio 50 fixed-interval 90-sec schedule of food delivery. The highest dose administered acutely (240 mg/kg) produced substantial reductions in rate of responding under both components of the multiple schedule; the effects of other doses were small and inconsistent. Tolerance appeared to develop to the rate-decreasing effects of mephenytoin following chronic exposure to the drag.

The Effects Of Negligence And Causation Information On Jurors' Determination Of Liability, David K. Blanchard

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the effect of arguments for and against defendant's behavior being negligent and for and against defendant's behavior being a cause of damages to the plaintiff. The findings were (a) that negligence arguments affected negligence ratings, causation ratings, and verdicts and (b) that causation arguments affected none of the measures.

The Effects Of Bilateral Injections Of Neuropeptide K Into The Medial Preoptic Area On Male Rat Copulatory Behavior, Peter Malen '91

Honors Projects

The first mammalian neuropeptide to be characterized was substance P (sP) , and it is now recognized that sP is a member of a structurally related family of peptides, the tachykinins. Extensive studies have demonstrated. that sP and some related tachykinin peptides play key roles as neurotransmitters and neuromodulators. The synthesis of different members of the tachykinin family is in part due to the modifications' of three sP-encoding preprotachykinin (PPT) mRNA's that are derived from a single sP gene. At least four tachykinin peptides can be synthesized as a result of these differential modifications including sP, neurokinin A, neuropeptide and …

Memory For Threatening Material, Leslie D. Pritchard

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Source Of The Hebb Repetition Effect As Indexed By Indirect And Direct Measures Of Retention, Gina M. Digiovanni

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Personality, Values, And Ability Correlates Of Leader Emergence And Leader Member Exchange Quality, Elona C. Crain

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Bilateral Injections Of Substance K Into The Medial Preoptic Area Have No Effect On Malr Rat Sexual Behavior, Kevin Short '91

Honors Projects

Within the last five years, there has been increasing interest in the role of neuropeptides in the neuroregulation/modulation of both male and female sexual behavior. The impetus for this derives from several findings. Firstly, certain neuropeptides and their receptors are located in brain loci previously implicated in both male and female sexual behavior. Secondly, and most important, is the rapidly accumulating evidence that the concentrations of certain peptides within these behaviorally-relevant loci are regulated by gonadal steroids .

Identity Formation: A Comparison Of Adolescents Adopted Through Agency Versus Private Placements, Judith Kay Bentley

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors which might influence the identity formation process in adopted adolescents. Specifically, this research looked at agency versus independent adoption placement as a choice reflecting the adoptive parents' preference for involvement with or distance from a possible adoptive family support network before and after placement. Subjects were also divided according to those whose family had belonged to an adoptive family support group and those who had not. The study involves a combination of descriptive and correlational research methods.

Intracerebral Injections Of Substance P Fragments (5-11) And (1-7) Into The Dorsal Midbrain Central Gray Have No Effects On Lordosis Behavior In The Female Rat, Jodi K. Block '91

Honors Projects

Substance P (sP), a neuroactive peptide, has now been implicated in a wide range of behaviors. One in particular is female rat sexual behavior. Recently, it has been shown that bilateral injections of sP into the dorsal midbrain central gray (dMCG) of estrogen-primed female rats facilitate sexual behavior (lordosis). Uncertainty remains, however, concerning the mode of action of synaptically released sP. Indeed, most of our understanding of sP activity has revealed that its full structural sequence is not needed for biological activity. This has led to speculation that sP may be processed into one or more types of fragments before …

Effect Of Straw On The Behaviour Of Growing Pigs, David Fraser, P. A. Phillips, B. K. Thompson, T. Tennessen

Social Behavior Collection

The effects of straw on the behaviour of young growing pigs were studied in two experiments. In Experiment 1, group of three pigs, aged about 7 weeks, were housed in raised decks with or without straw bedding. Time-lapse video recording showed no major differences between treatments in the amount or daily pattern of overall activity and feeding. Detailed observations showed that bedding reduced the incidence of rooting and chewing on pen-mates, but had little effect on other social activities such as mounting and aggressive biting. Experiment 2 compared groups of eight growing pigs aged about 10 weeks, housed in floor …

The Effects Of Self-Esteem, Performance Feedback, And Behavioral Verifiability On Self-Serving Biases, Diana C. Slatopolsky

Master's Theses

The present study examined the psychological processes underlying the self-serving bjas, the tendency to portray one's own qualities as more favorable then those of others. Subjects were asked to predict future success on a behavioral task for themselves and for the average student at their university after receiving performance feedback on the same task. It was proposed that self-enhancing predictions would be moderated by subject's self-esteem (high or low), the verifiability of task performance (high or low), and performance feedback (success or failure). The results revealed that subjects with high self-esteem displayed a self-serving bias regardless of performance verifiability or …

Assessment-Based Treatment For Physically Abusive Parents: An Exploratory Study, Scott E. Blickenstaff

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Literature on child abuse supports the conception that physical abuse is a multidetermined behavior. Multifaceted treatment programs have shown some promise in dealing with the heterogeneity of abusive parents. Most of the reported comprehensive intervention programs have provided predetermined doses of a variety of treatment components to each subject. The intent of this study was two-fold: (a) to provide treatment components based on assessment of the parent and (b) to train the parent to a specified level of competency. A multiple baseline design was used in this clinical study of six agency-referred, physically abusive parents. Based on initial assessment and …

The Effects Of Parental Involvement With Preschoolers At Risk For Developmental And Behavioral Problems, Robin Skoien-Bradley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Parental involvement 1n early childhood intervention with children at risk has been reported as an effective variable in treatment both in popular literature and research reviews. However, the results of meta-analyses of early intervention literature have concluded that research evidence is not currently available to support this notion. Therefore, research which employs strong methodology to study the efficacy of parental involvement in early interventions with children at risk is needed. The purpose of this study was to determine whether, in a sample of preschoolers exhibiting developmental and behavioral risk, there are posttreatment differences between different levels of parent-involved groups in …

The Expanding Rol Of The President As Commander-In-Chief Since World War Ii, David E. Kugler

Theses and Dissertations

While conflict has always existed between the president and the Congress over war-making roles, the president's Commander-in-Chief role has expanded significantly since World War II. This study examines expansion of presidential power in terms of the establishment of the United States as a world economic and political power and the development of nuclear weapons.

Case studies were selected from each of the administrations from Truman through Reagan to illustrate these points. The Truman administration is studied in terms of the war in Korea and the advent of the limited war concept in a nuclear-powered world.

President Eisenhower's massive retaliation strategy …

Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain And Marital Adjustment Effects On The Spouse, Marilyn Matson Jones

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Chronic musculoskeletal pain can fundamentally alter a marital relationship and have significant effects on marital satisfaction for both the chronic pain patient and spouse. This paper is a critical review of literature on chronic musculoskeletal pain and marital adjustment. Nineteen empirical studies are evaluated and serve as the data base for conclusions and recommendations. Variables which may effect marital satisfaction such as sexual function, spouse solicitousness, effects on the psychological and physical health of the spouse and gender differences are identified. The impact of these variables on marriage and the spouse in particular, is discussed. Implications for further research in …

Spark Without Flame: The German Library Of Information A Nazi Propaganda Agency In The United States, 1936-1941, Craig S. Olson

Theses and Dissertations

Most studies of Nazi propaganda have focused on main events inside Germany. This thesis proposes to examine German efforts in the United States in the years before American entry into the Second World War. This will be done by examining one Nazi agency: the German Library of Information which operated out of New York City from 1936 to 1941.

The first chapter explores the formation of the German Library of Information and its goals. The question of whether it as controlled by the Foreign Office or the Propaganda Ministry is also discussed.

The second chapter cover the association between the …

A Study Of General Education Curricula In Selected Small Colleges, Lavonne Fay Larson

Theses and Dissertations

Given the distinctiveness of small colleges, the primary purpose of this study was to gain a more complete understanding of general education curricula of selected small colleges in terms of the colleges' stated goals, their process of developing and modifying, and the stucture and content of their present general education curricula. A second purpose was to propose a model for developing general education curricula.

Three research methods were employed: a review of related literature, an analysis of written institutional documents, and campus interviews. Two groups of small colleges, with enrollments of less than 2000, participated. Data from the first group …

Acute Effects Of Smoking On Prose Memory And Physiological Arousal, Scott J. Krebs

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects smoking a cigarette of varying nicotine yields had on physiological arousal and memory for prose passages.

Forty-five male habitual smokers were assigned to either a placebo (0.1mg nicotine cigarette), a 0.7mg, or a 1.5mg nicotine cigarette group. All subjects were in good health, reported that they regularly inhale smoke, that they smoked daily, and have for at least the past 3 months. Subjects smoked their assigned cigarette in a controlled fashion prior to reading 4 prose passages from a computer screen. Immediately after reading each passage, subjects were asked …