Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Evaluation Of The Quality Of Service At A Volunteer-Run Telephone Distress Centre, Peter John Crocker

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

A quality of service evaluation was designed collaboratively with listeners at a volunteer-run hotline, to promote the utilization of evaluation results. Listener use of empathy, talk time, and silence, and different types of verbal helping responses (e.g. advice, reflection of feeling) was examined through the use of 30 simulated calls placed to consenting listeners. While the second major focus of the evaluation, assessing the validity of listener self-rated performance as an evaluative technique, was not successful, a large number of performance gaps were identified. Contrary to expectations, listeners were directive in their helping orientation, often providing inappropriate or unhelpful advice …

Changing Attitudes Toward Computers An Intervention Strategy, Margo Stevenson George

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The theory of reasoned action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980) was used to predict and understand University students’ attitudes toward using a computer for word processing, and such attitudes were changed through an intervention strategy, consisting of a persuasive communication and a word processing task. Results from study one indicated that the theory of reasoned action was a useful model of predicting and understanding attitudes toward word processing and also intention and behavior. Results from a computer attitude questionnaire administered to 238 University students (100 males and 138 females), who volunteered to participate, suggested that intention to do word processing predicted …

Increasing Participation In Continuing Education The Relationship Of Specific Obstacles And Supports To Likelihood Of Participation, Victor Wayne Oake

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The study investigated the relationship between reported likelihood of participation in a continuing education course and the importance of obstacles and supports to participation as perceived by 238 adults. The research instrument, a questionnaire developed by the author, was mailed to 1,000 residences in the county of Waterloo, Ontario. Previous research and theoretical positions on obstacles to participation in continuing education were examined. It was hypothesized that obstacles and supports related to concern with academic ability would be significantly correlated with Likelihood of participation. The Pearson Product-Moment statistic was utilized to test the hypothesis. No significant correlations between the dependent …

The Evolution In Canada Of The Citizen's Movement Against Nestle, 1978-1984: A Descriptive Study, Deacute Bryant

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This is an historical study of a social action. The purpose of the study was two-fold: 1) to document the evolution in Canada of the infant formula controversy, and 2) to use the intervention as a case example with which to propose a theoretical model of social action. In Canada the history of the controversy went from 1978 to 1984. During that time action groups for activists and industry reported similar changes in focus. Their targeted audiences changed from being the general public to being the “power elite”: professionals with political clout and money. The primary topics and groups advocated …

Social Support Networks And Sex Role Orientation After Divorce In Catholic Italian Women And Catholic Anglophone Women, Diana Maria Di Costa

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Twenty-one Catholic Italian divorcees and a matched group of twenty-one Catholic Anglophone divorcees (who were born in Canada and whose ethnic roots were in Great Britain) were studied to determine ethnic differences in family concept, family interaction, sex role orientation, and social support. Results showed that Italian fathers, but not mothers, disapproved of the divorce significantly more than Anglophone fathers. Parental approval/disapproval of the divorce was found to have a greater effect on the support received by Italian divorcees than Anglophone divorcees. Parental disapproval of the divorce was associated with less family and relative support for Italian divorcees only. Italian …

An Examination Of Aftercare Services For The Chronically Mentally Ill In Two Communities, Lorraine Ferris

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Within the last few decades there has been a shift from traditional institutional approaches in mental health to community based service delivery systems. Researchers examining the community-based model have focused on improving the quality of community care. Specifically, use of aftercare services has been found to improve the quality of community care (Byers, Cohen, & Harshbarger, 1978; Gittelman 1974; Krauss & Slavinsky 1982; Weinman et al. 1978). Coordination of services has also been shown to improve the quality of community care by increasing the effectiveness of aftercare (Broskowsky, marks, & Burmen 1982; Clark 1976; Krauss & Slavinsky 1982). At the …

Predicting And Understanding Teacher Use Of School Consultation Services, Loretta M. Hillier

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Special education services offered to students and teachers in Ontario schools have changed dramatically within the past twenty years. Special education service delivery has evolved from a focus on the school psychologist as a psychometrist to the formation of multidisciplinary teams to deal with the needs of special students and their teachers. Students with special needs are no longer always segregated or left to fade into the wallpaper. By recent legislation, all students with special needs are entitled to special education programs suited to their needs. This often results in students being placed into the “least restrictive environment” which is …

The Role Of The Computer In Society Some Aspects Of Person-Machine Interaction, Robert Clarence Hallman

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In Community Psychology, we assume that people at the grassroots can learn to help themselves if they are offered the means of understanding a problem and helped to discover the strategies needed to resolve it. Micro-computer technology is currently at a cultural crossroads: a technology in search of new applications. To date, research and concerns around the role of the computer in society have taken the macro view, being predominantly sociologically, politically, and economically oriented. The purpose of the present study was to bring these issues to the individual level and to examine some variables at the person-computer interface. In …

Written Precounseling Training Versus Videotaped Precounseling Training Of Clients For Counseling, Ross M. Stewart

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to compare the effects of two precounseling training processes for facilitating the client-counselor relationship and client self-exploration. One group of subjects was exposed to a videotaped presentation of a simulated initial counseling session which demonstrated desirable client and counselor behavior. A second group of subjects read a document which closely matched the content of the videotaped session. Subjects went immediately into a session with their assigned counselor. The dependent variables investigated in this study were: (1) perceived client-counselor relationship as measured by the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory, and (2) client self-exploration as measured by the Helpee Self-Exploration …

Using Performance-Management To Improve The Academic Success Of High-Risk College Students, Valerie L. Jager

Masters Theses

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a performance management program designed to improve the academic success of high-risk college students; students who had been previously dismissed from the university and had grade point averages (GPA) below 2.0 (on a 4.0- point scale). Twenty-two of these high-risk students were required to enroll in a one-credit hour performance-management course. They met weekly with a student staff member and prepared a contract, which specified their goals for the upcoming week and evaluated the past weeks' accomplishments. The students were also required to graph their daily accomplishments and spend ten hours per week studying …

The Effects Of A Structured Study-Support Program On The Academic Performance Of Minority College Freshmen In A General Psychology Course, Mark Andrew Jackson

Masters Theses

This study analyzed the effectiveness of a structured study support course on the academic performance of minority college freshmen in a general psychology course. The study-support course required the participants to study the weekly quiz material in specified increments throughout the entire week. These participants received significantly higher grades than those who did not.

In addition, the weekly quiz scores of the participants during the treatment phase were significantly higher than their quiz scores prior to the beginning of the study-support course. Students who did not participate in the study-support course showed no significant difference in weekly quiz performance during …

A Performance Audit Of A Graduate Training Program, Maria Emma Garcia

Masters Theses

The present study consists of a performance audit of a graduate training program. The performance audit is an engineering model created by Gilbert (1978) to design, analyze, and evaluate organizations. This performance audit was applied to the Behavioral Systems Analysis Program (BSAP), a graduate training program of the Psychology Department at Western Michigan University. The mission of BSAP consists of training behavioral systems analysts to effectively create or improve systems that benefit humanity.

This study had two objectives: first, the identification of the areas of BSAP with greatest potential for improvement and the identification causes of their deficiencies; second, to …

Assertion, Assertion Training, And Sex-Role Orientation, Herbert L. Spencer Jr.

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate three questions: (1) Does there exist a significant relationship between assertion and sex-role orientation? (2) Does assertion training affect the sex-role orientation of its participants, and if so, in what direction does this effect occur in terms of the participants' sex-role orientation? (3) Does a relationship exist between those who benefit from assertion training with increased assertion and their levels of sex-role identification? Procedure: (1) The Bern Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) and the College Self-Expression Scale (CSES) was given to 188 undergraduate college student volunteers. A step-wise multiple regression analysis was utilized …

Violence In College Students' Dating Relationships, Carol K. Sigelman, Carol E. Jordan-Berry, Katharine A. Wiles

Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women Publications

In a survey of 504 college students examining predictors of violence in heterosexual relationships, over half of both men and women had committed at least one physically violent act. Modest associations between physical violence and sexual aggression were uncovered. In a series of discriminant analyses, men who abused their partners were not readily distinguished from men who did not, but tended to by young, low in family income, traditional in attitudes toward women, abused as children, currently living with a women, and from Appalachian areas.

Effects Of The Center For The Self-Management Of Academic Performance On High Risk Students, Connie J. Wittkopp

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a behavioral package designed to help keep high risk students in school. Thirty-four undergraduate students on academic probation were referred to the Center for the Self-Management of Academic Performance by the College of Arts and Sciences. These students were divided into two groups: an experimental group which consisted of 21 students and a control group which consisted of 13 students. Members of the experimental group were exposed to a treatment package which included behavioral contracting, lectures, and mandatory attendance at a study center; members of the control group …

Computer-Assisted Consultation: Problem-Identification, David B. Lennox

Dissertations

Three experiments were conducted to validate the effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Consultation (CAC)--a computer-based problem identification interviewing system for use in conducting school-based behavioral consultation. The specific goals of problem identification are to establish behavioral objectives and initial assessment characteristics. Experiment I functioned as a pilot which: (1) validated the need for problem identification, (2) demonstrated the general utility of CAC, and (3) provide a basis for program improvement. Experiment II provided a more rigorous analysis of CAC by comparing it with an actual problem identification interview. Two groups of three consultees each were exposed to one of two counter-balanced sequences …

Feminine Role Orientation And Locus Of Control In Battered Women, Nancy C. Zielke

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine locus of control and feminine role orientation in battered women. It was hypothesized that battered women would have a more "external" locus of control than women who have not been in a battering relationship. It was also hypothesized that battered women would describe themselves as having more characteristics that are traditionally associated as "feminine" in nature and fewer characteristics that are considered "masculine" in nature than women who have not been in a battering relationship. Finally, it was hypothesized that there would be a relationship between locus of control and self-perceived feminine …

Research Note: An Established Canon? Textbook Orthodoxy In Psychology, James R. Scroggs

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Assigned, Conflicting Goals On Task Performance, Daniel P. Whitenak

Student Work

Previous research has strongly supported Locke's theory of goal-setting: given specific, difficult, accepted goals with proper feedback, individual performance w ill improve relative to others not given a goal. A possible exception to this theory might be the setting of goals that conflict or require widely different strategies for task completion. The present study employed a 2 x 2 factorial design (presence/absence of a quantity and a quality goal) to investigate the impact of conflicting goals on task performance. Results showed that assigned, conflicting goals do not provide an exception to the goal-setting/performance relationship since significan t main effects were …

A Comparison Of Personality Types Between Deans/Directors Of Continuing Education And Chief Academic Officers In Selected Post-Secondary Institutions In North Carolina, Mary F. Joseph

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem was to determine whether significant relationships existed between the personality types of deans/directors of continuing education and chief academic officers in institutions of higher education in North Carolina. Literature was reviewed in order to determine the research that had been completed using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) with administrators in post-secondary institutions. A demographic questionnaire was developed to ascertain information about the type and size of the institutions, as well as data about the respondent. All post-secondary institutions, excluding business and trade schools, in North Carolina were included in the study. The dean/director of continuing education and chief …

Methylphenidate Effects On The Learning And Performance Of Four Hyper Active Children, Paul James Yoder

Dissertations

The effects of methylphenidate hydrochloride (Ritalin) on the learning and performance of four hyperactive children were evaluated using a repeated acquisition procedure with both learning and performance components. Three dosages of methylphenidate plus a placebo were evaluated under double-blind experimental conditions. Dosages treated included each subject's therapeutic dosage, a dosage 5 milligrams higher, and a dosage 5 milligrams lower. Methylphenidate produced no effect on either the number of errors per session or on the rate of responding across the range of dosages tested suggesting that the medication neither facilitated nor impaired learning or performance. Data were also collected on social …

The Effect Of Aerobic Training And Weight Training On The Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Body Cathexis, And Self-Concept Of College Females, John Stuart Irvine

Dissertations

The present study investigated the effects of two differing exercise programs, aerobic training and weight training, upon the body cathexis, global self-concept, and cardiorespiratory fitness of college females. The subjects were undergraduate nonintercollegiate athletes who self-selected into four different physical education classes that served as the two experimental and one control group. The subjects in the aerobics exercise group engaged in rope jumping, aerobic dance, and jogging for 50 minutes, twice per week, for 14 weeks. The weight training experimental group utilized free weights and variable resistence strength training equipment during the 14-week, twice weekly, 50-minute sessions. The control group …

Life History Patterns And The Comparative Social Ecology Of Carnivores, Marc Bekoff, Thomas J. Daniels, John L. Gittleman

Ethology Collection

No abstract provided.

School Of Professional Psychology Fall Schedule 1984 [And] Department Of Psychology Spring Schedule 1985, Nova University

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

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Efficacy Of Two Educational Methods In The Reduction Of Computer Fear, Scott M. Gordon

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effcacy of two different educational methods in the reduction of computer fear. One of the methods focused on the effectiveness of a quasi-hypnotic session in the reduction of computer fear. An open-ended sentence completion questionnaire was given to 46 employees of Pittsburg State University in conjunction with an in-service training seminar on computers. The data were analyzed according to Wilcoxon Matched Pairs Signed Ranks tests and Spearman Rho correlations. Results of this study indicate that an educational presentation is not as effective as an educational presentation paired with relaxation training in …

Age Tracking Performance And The Measurement Of Workload By A Secondary Tasks, Manuel Francisco Diaz

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate age differences in tracking performance and in the amount of workload imposed by the tracking task. Twelve subjects between the ages of 18 and 22, and 12 subjects between the ages of 48 and 67 performed a serial, choice-reaction-time task alone and concurrently with a pursuit rotor tracking task. The choice reaction time task served as the secondary task and the pursuit rotor tracking task as the primary task. Primary task performance was measured by time on target and number of tracking errors, and the secondary task by choice reaction time and …

The Effect Of Pre- & Post-Training Administration Of Naloxone Upon Acquisition Learning & Memory Retention During An Active Avoidance Response, Debra Yovichin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Thirty-two male and female Balb-C mice were randomly divided into four groups of eight subjects each. The mice were injected with saline or naloxone either before or after the initial training of an active avoidance response. Forty trials were administered during the training and the retesting phases with the number of avoidance responses being recorded.

The results indicate that there was no significant difference between giving the treatment before versus after training. No significant difference was also observed between the saline versus naloxone groups, while a significant difference was found between training versus retesting. Possible explanations for both the nonsignificant …

Steven Zuckerman's Review Of Melford E. Spiro's Oedipus In The Trobriands, Steven Zuckerman

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

An Empirical Examination Of The Construct Validity Of The Spiritual Leadership Qualities Inventory, Thomas G. Parker Jr.

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

The The Spiritual Leadership Qualities Inventory (SLQI) is a self-report measure of the qualifications for elders and deasons given in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1. This study examined the construct validity of the SLQI by means of correlations with measures of religiosity and personality inventories, and by factor analysis at the subscale level for 90 male, evangelical, Christian seminary students in the Southwest.

The Relationship Among Parent Knowledge Of Special Education, Assertiveness, And Participation In Planning Their Handicapped Child’S Educational Program, Lynne Faxon Croxton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study addressed the relationship among parent assertiveness, parent knowledge of special education and the handicapping condition of their child, and parent participation in the annual meeting of the School-Based Admissions and Release Committee (SBARC). Fifty-one (51) parents of learning disabled and mentally handicapped children in a suburban area of Kentucky participated in the study. The effects of the child’s handicapping condition and the number of years the child’s handicapping condition and the number of years the child had received special education on parent assertiveness, knowledge, and participation were also analyzed. Parents were given the Special Education Knowledge Survey, and …