Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Performance Feedback And Goal Setting On The Productivity And Satisfaction Of Clerical Workers, Leslie Ann Wilk

Dissertations

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Performance Management (PM) intervention designed to improve the productivity and job satisfaction of clerical employees in a university admissions department. During the first phase of the intervention, supervisors applied a PM program which included an individualized daily goal setting and verbal feedback program. During phase two, graphic display of individual performance levels was added to the goals and verbal feedback program. Productivity was measured via daily self reports of tasks completed. Job satisfaction was assessed by taking measures prior to and following the intervention using the Work …

Goal-Directed Imagining: The Effect Of Suggestions Of Warmth And Coolness On Blood Flow To The Hand, John Mark Dilworth

Dissertations and Theses

Recent research was reviewed which claimed to demonstrate that hypnotic suggestions could be used to control blood flow. Numerous methodological and conceptual problems in these studies were identified and a rigid experimental design with tighter controls was employed to investigate the claimed effects on blood flow. Subjects listened to either a standardized hypnotic induction or a passage of relaxing music. Both groups then listened to the Creative Imagination Scale (Wilson & Barber, 1978) (CIS) which ended with an added item containing suggestions of coolness. Localized skin temperature of the right hand was monitored throughout as an indication of blood flow. …

Maternal-Preterm Infant Interaction In The Intensive Care Unit: Intervention And Coping Style Effects, Joy Voyles Browne

Psychology ETDs

This study was designed to determine if short-term education regarding preterm infant behavior or demonstration-interaction with the mother's own infant would cause differences in the mother's knowledge base, behavior with the infant or perception of stress related to parenting. Additionally, individual coping styles of mothers of high risk preterm infants were identified.

Hana ‘Ino: Child Maltreatment In A Hawaiian-American Community, Jill E. Korbin

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Vol. 13 No. 3 (1990): Pacific Studies Full Issue, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, and …

Therapeutic Professions And The Diffusion Of Deficit, Kenneth J. Gergen

Psychology Faculty Works

The mental health professions operate largely so as to objectify a language of mental deficit. In spite of their humane intentions, by constructing a reality of mental deficit the professions contribute to hierarchies of privilege, reduce natural interdependencies within the culture, and lend themselves to self-enfeeblement. This infirming of the culture is progressive, such that when common actions are translated into a professionalized language of mental deficit, and this language is disseminated, the culture comes to construct itself in these terms. This leads to an enhanced dependency on the professions and these are forced, in turn, to invent additional terms …

Resource Allocation As A Function Of Leadership Titles And Myers-Briggs Typology, David C. Leonard

Master's Theses

In recent years, research efforts have attempted to identify variables that may moderate leaders' decision making styles. Variables that have been identified include divisibility of the resource, social scripts, and type of resource being divided. This study attempted to replicate these findings and examine the influence of personality variables as defined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Scale. The influence of the thinking-judging and feeling-judging typologies are examined in light of a resource allocation task, as well as their relationship to Blake and Mouton's Managerial Grid of leadership styles. Results were generally nonsignificant. However, the thinking and feeling typologies were correlated …

Vol. 13 No. 3 (1990): Pacific Studies Front Matter, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Pacific Studies is published two times a year by The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies, Brigham Young University Hawai‘i #1979, 55–220 Kulanui Street, Lāʻie, Hawai‘i 96762, but responsibility for opinions expressed in the articles rests with the authors alone. Subscription rate is US$40.00 yearly, payable to The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies. The Jonathan Nāpela Center for Hawaiian and Pacific Studies (formerly The Pacific Institute) is an organization funded by Brigham Young University Hawai‘i. The Center assists the University in meeting its cultural and educational goals by undertaking a program of teaching, research, and …

Contributors: Vol 13 No. 3, The Jonathan Nāpela Center For Hawaiian And Pacific Islands Studies

Pacific Studies

Contributors list of Vol. 13 (1990): Pacific Studies Full Issue 3

Beaten Wife, Suicidal Woman: Domestic Violence In Kaliai, West New Britain, Dorothy Ayers Counts

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

Hemispheric Effects Of Verbal Information Processing On Single And Dual Task Performance, Gwendolyn Lorell Pearson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Several theories have been proposed to predict performance when operators time share tasks. The Hemispheres as Resources Model suggests tasks will be performed efficiently together if each hemisphere allocates resources to one task. The Task Hemispheric Integrity Principle predicts the best dual task performance will be found when the shortest processing route is maintained. The purpose of the present study was to test the single and dual task performance predictions of these two models. The concurrent performance of two verbal tasks was used to compare the importance of ear of attention, hemisphere of processing, response hand and gender on task …

Interpreting The Personal Orientation Inventory Through The Five-Factor Model, Diane Donald Anderson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study was designed to determine how the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI; Shostrom, 1974) relates to the Five-Factor Model of Personality. Four self-report personality instruments were employed; the Personal Orientation Inventory, the Comrey Personality Scales (CPS; Comrey, 1970), the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI; Costa & NcCrae, 1988), and the Five-Factor Nodel Adjective Factors (AF,", Costa & NcCrae, 1985b). Data were collected from 128 psychology students aged 18 to 30 years. Scores for the Five Factors were obtained by factor analysis combining responses from the CPS, the NEO-FFI, and the AF. Pearson product-moment intercorrelations were then computed for the Five Factors …

The Effect Of The Type Of Goal Setting Procedure Task Difficulty And Feedback On Psychomotor Performance, Jennifer Anne Mikulka Fletcher

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present experiment examined the effect of two levels of task difficulty (easy and difficult), two levels of feedback (feedback and no feedback), and three types of goal setting procedure (participative, assigned, and no goal setting) on performance. To control for effects due to goal difficulty, the assigned goals were yoked to the participative goals. A computerized letter cancellation task was employed to measure subject performance on three dependent variables: the number of correct. letter cancellations, the number of incorrect cancellations, and the reaction time between correct. cancellations ~ The results showed that the number of incorrect cancellations was not …

Perceptions Of Women And Substance Abuse, Marla Harrison

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Sixty-five male and female substance abuse counselors were administered hypothetical scenarios and corresponding questionnaires regarding two types of substance abuse, one separately describing a male and a female cocaine abuser, and the other separately describing a male and a female heroin and alcohol abuser. Differences in perceptions of male and female substance abusers in regards to treatment recommendations and contributing factors among male and female counselors were predicted. Counselors perceived emotional and relationship problems as contributing more to female substance abuse, and male counselors were more likely to recommend group counseling and to perceive character problems as a contr1buting factor …

Comparison Of The Efficacy Of General And Specific Performance Dimensions In An Operational Assessment Center, Wanda J. Campbell

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to compare the effectiveness of three general performance dimensions and 14 specific dimensions on various aspects of rating quality.

The categorization phase of the research tested the hypothesis that categorization accuracy and reliability would be a significantly greater for the general performance dimensions than for the specific dimensions. The results provided partial support for this hypothesis.

The aggregation phase of the research tested the following hypotheses: (1) rating accuracy would be greater when relevant behaviors were displayed with high frequency than when they were displayed with low frequency; (2) rating accuracy would be greater …

Validation Of The Human Factors Satisfaction Questionnaire, James Carlopio

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

In order to predict behavior in organizations, it is important to understand and to consider both the individual employee and his/her interaction with the physical work environment. The main purpose of this research was to gather evidence of the validity of the Human Factors Satisfaction Questionnaire (HFSQ) in order to provide a tool with which employees' preceptions of several elements of their physical work environments can be measured. The physical work environment and its relationship to both organization theory and motivation theory is discussed. Evidence of the construct validity of the HFSQ was sought through the administration of the HFSQ …

Reliability And Construct Validity Of An Adjective Rating Scale Of Concept Of God, James D. Fischer

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The reliability and construct validity of Gorsuch's (1968) adjective rating scale of Concept of God (COG) was investigated. Two separate samples of 72 and 197 participants were utilized to complete four statistical analyses: (a) test-retest reliability was computed on a sample of 120 participants; (b) measures of internal consistency were computed providing coefficient alpha's for each scale of the COG; (c) the COG was correlated with the Spiritual Well-Being scale, the Spiritual Maturity Index, the Religious Orientation Scale, and the Spiritual Distress Scale; (d) a confirmatory factor analysis was completed hypothesizing both a one- and four-factor model. The four-factor model …

Blocking Of Acquisition But Not Expression Of Conditioned Fear-Potentiated Startle By Nmda Antagonists In The Amygdala, Mindy Miserendino, Catherine B. Sananes, Kathleen R. Melia, Michael Davis

Psychology Faculty Publications

Assessed the role of N-methyl-{d}-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the amygdala in associative fear conditioning. 132 rats were implanted with cannulae aimed at the basolateral amygdaloid nuclei, while 13 controls had cannulae aimed at the interpositus nuclei of the cerebellum. NMDA antagonists infused into the amygdala blocked the acquisition, but not the expression, of fear conditioning measured with a behavioral assay mediated by a defined neural circuit (fear-potentiation of the acoustic startle reflex). This effect showed anatomical and pharmacological specificity, and was not attributable to reduced salience of the stimuli of light or shock used in training. An NMDA-dependent process in …

Comparative Impact Of Selected Group Input Variables On Self-Assessments Of Group Process Skills In Interdisciplinary Health Care Teams: A Field Study, R. Michael Mitchell

Dissertations and Theses

During the past two decades interdisciplinary health care teams have come to be considered an integral component in the efficient delivery of health care. Interdisciplinary teams dealing with the increasingly complex problems of patients are now common in many health care settings. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the individual and collective impact of several group process inputs, common to interdisciplinary health care teams, on team members' appraisals of their own group process skills.

The Comparability Of A Field & A Device-Mediated Performance Test For M1 Armor Crewmen, Sylvia Smith

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A study was conducted to evaluate the construct validity of four measures of Armor combat performance derived through the Simulation Networking (SIMNET) system. Problems with field testing, such as high cost, low reliability, and lack of realism, has lead the Army to look for alternative methods for soldier evaluation. SIMNET's utility for supplemental training and hardware development has been documented and the device holds promise as a low-cost alternative for soldier evaluation. Performance by 120 M1 tank crews on a SIMNET test was compared to their performance on a field test measuring four critical domains of Armor combat performance: command …

Need For Cognition Scale: A Study Of Its Psychometric Properties And Its Ability To Predict Academic Achievement, Arthur Cleavinger

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The psychometric properties of the Need for Cognition Scale (NCS; Cacioppo & Petty, 1982) were investigated in two studies with independent samples of undergraduates at Western Kentucky University. In the first study (N = 379), the internal consistency and factor structure of the NCS were examined, and the NCS was compared to the Achievement subscale of the Personality Research Form (Jackson, 1974) and the State-Trait Curiosity subscale of the State-Trait Personality Inventory (Speilberger, 1979). Also, the possibility of differences in “need for cognition” attributable to socio-economic status (i.e. the educational attainment of the subjects’ parents) were examined. The second study …

Stress Indicators Of Kentucky Elementary Principals, Helen Kirby

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Stress has become a problem to which people of all walks of life may relate, affecting the actions of the individual on both professional and personal levels. In the field of education, administrators often report a high level of stress, sometimes referred to as burnout. Much has been written about teacher stress, but very little research has been done on stress encountered by elementary principals. Research was conducted on stress as perceived by elementary principals in the Commonwealth of Kentucky for this study.

The questionnaire used was compiled by the researcher using Koff, Laffey, Olson and Cichon’s table of Stress …

The Acquisition Of Spelling By Developmentally Disabled Adults: An Examination Of Some Variations Of The Look-Cover-Write-Check Cycle, Mark Stafford

Masters Theses

Five developmentally disabled adults were taught to spell groups of five words using the look-over-write-check cycle, in which the subject looks at the word, covers it, writes the word, then looks at the word again to check the accuracy of spelling. Four variations of this procedure were used with each of the subjects including requiring the subjects to spell the words out loud in the "look" component. The results showed that the subjects required fewer sessions and fewer trials to spell the five words when the out loud requirement was in effect. Approximations generated as the subjects learned to spell …

Reliability And Construct Validity Of An Adjective Rating Scale Of Concept Of God, James D. Fischer

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The reliability and construct validity of Gorsuch's (1968) adjective rating scale of concept of God (COG) was investigated. Two separate samples of 72 and 197 participants were utilized to complete four statistical analyses: (a) test-retest reliability was computed on a sample of 120 participants; (b) measures of internal consistency were computed providing coefficient alpha's for each scale of the COG; (c) the COG was correlated with the Spiritual Well-Being scale, the Spiritual Maturity Index, the Religious Orientation Scale, and the Spiritual Distress Scale; (d) a confirmatory factor analysis was completed hypothesizing both a one- and four-factor model. The four-factor model …

Ethical Dilemmas Confronting School Psychologists, Karol Basel

Student Work

This study was conducted to investigate school psychologists' perception of the utility to published ethics codes on ethical decision making. Subjects were randomly chosen for this national survey based on their membership in the National Association of School Psychologists. Subjects were presented 25 dilemmas based on specific ethical codes published by the American Psychological Association and National Association of School Psychologists. Respondents were asked whether they had encountered similar dilemmas in the past two years and how well ethical codes had prepared them to solve each dilemma. Respondents indicated that they had experienced few of the dilemmas in the recent …

The Effects Of Combining Behavioral Counselling With Nicotine Fading And Smoke Holding In Medically At-Risk Adult Smokers, Terry Steven Bradford

Dissertations

The present study examined the effects of nicotine fading and a taste aversion procedure during behavioral treatment for smoking cessation. Nine subjects were initially assigned to one of two groups. Informed consent and physician waivers were obtained. Behavioral counseling was provided with the objective of subjects becoming self-control agents. After baseline, patients were taught to apply nicotine fading techniques. Subjects also received instruction and practice in goal setting and in using alternative responses, relaxation, and so forth. Three consecutive daily sessions of smoke holding were then done, during which subjects were instructed to stop smoking, followed by maintenance sessions. Results …

The Effectiveness Of Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (Rest) On Reducing Chronic Low Back Pain, David D. Smith

Dissertations

A number of studies have demonstrated that both progressive relaxation training and biofeedback are effective in reducing chronic low back pain. Floatation-REST (restricted environmental stimulation therapy), a relatively new method developed for relaxation, has demonstrated promising results and appears to be particularly well suited for the low back pain patient. The primary hypothesis of this project was that REST would reduce pain as evidenced by changes in physiological, behavioral and self-report measures commonly associated with chronic pain reduction. A secondary hypothesis was generated after the first of three experiments: that employment would be an important variable in determining the effectiveness …

Vocal Recognition Of Pups By Mother Mexican Free-Tailed Bats, Tadarida Brasiliensis Mexicana, Jonathan P. Balcombe

Sentience Collection

The ability of Mexican free-tailed bat mothers and pups to recognize vocalizations of their presumptive kin (pup isolation calls and mother echolocation calls, respectively) was tested using playbacks of recorded calls. Captive individuals were presented with calls of two bats, one presumptive kin and the other a stranger, from opposite sides of a circular wire arena. Response was determined by amount of time spent on each side of the arena, time spent in contact with a cloth bat model in front of each speaker, and number of separate contacts with each model. For the latter two measures, mothers showed a …

Family Dynamic Variables And Continuity Of Psychosocial Adjustment From Childhood To Late Adolescence And Early Adulthood, Soheila Dehlavi

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates whether the configuration of family dynamic variables modifies the impact of childhood problems on psychosocial adjustment in late adolescence and early adulthood. Based on the Schwarz and Getter (1980) triple-interaction model, the major hypothesis was that the conjoint effects of a history of adjustment problems in childhood, a dominant cross-sex parent, and high interparental conflict would predict greater problems in later psychosocial adjustment than a history of better adjustment in childhood and/or a family dynamic configuration less likely to elicit sex-role and gender-identity conflicts. Subjects were 61 male and 96 female college students from the University of …

Cognitive And Attributional Correlates Of Depression: An Analysis Of The Redundancy Between Beck's Cognitive Triad And Seligman's Attributional Styles, Kent W. Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the degree vi of redundancy between two prominent cognitive theories of depression: Beck's cognitive triad and Seligrnan's attributional triad. Three hundred and eighteen subjects were recruited from nine different psychology courses at Utah State University and affiliated locations across the state. Subjects completed the Cognitive Triad Inventory (CTI), the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).

Results indicate that the three CTI subscales (self, world, and future) and the three ASQ subscales (internal, global, and stable) did not correlate sufficiently to merit integration across measures. However, factor analyses reduced …