Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Explorative Study Of Parents' Ability To Predict Representative Feelings Of Their Children, Kathleen Marie Koudele

Dissertations and Theses

This is a study of thirty fifth-grade children and their parents to examine how accurately parents can predict the feeling reactions of their children in various situations. This focus on parent-child interactions regarding feelings has several implications for the field of Social Work.

The Relationship Of Weight Loss To Self Concept In The Mentally Retarded Adult, Pauline Bunting Wall

Dissertations and Theses

The major part of this study was a treatment program designed to motivate mentally retarded adults to lose weight within a small group setting. Subjects were tested pre- and posttreatment on the Tennessee Self Concept Scale to ascertain any improvement in self-esteem. A 50-question diet quiz was constructed by the experimenters and administered pre- and posttreatment to find out if the subjects would improve their knowledge of health and nutrition through the study.

The Threat Index And Two Forms Of Resistance To The Concept Of Death, Henry E. Miller Jr.

Dissertations and Theses

Many investigators of death attitudes have emphasized the limitation of self-report measures of the fear of death in that responses are often unreal and highly questionable due to defenses and ego maneuvers. The Self-Administered Threat Index (SATI) introduced by Rainey and Epting (1977) appears to meet most criticisms of other investigators.

The present study was a partial replication of the Golding, et al. (1966) study with the SATI replacing the Sarnoff Fear of Death Scale. Forty-six introductory psychology students, both males and females, performed a tachistoscopic recognition task, completed the SATI and the Semantic Differential and were administered a brief …

Memory For Crossed And Nested Classifications, John Ernest Garwood

Dissertations and Theses

Memory for crossed and nested classifications was investigated. Two experimental groups were exposed to stimuli which could be organized by both a crossed and nested classification. The stimuli consisted of nine drawings in a 3 x 3 matrix. Each drawing is characterized by attributes on five dimensions. The nested classification requires four dimensions to organize the nine drawings, while the crossed classification requires two dimensions. Of the five dimensions, three are unique to the nested classification, one is unique to the crossed classification, and one is common to both classifications. Subjects were presented the stimuli so that either the crossed …

A Survey Of Reading-Readiness Skills And Their Application To The Late Reader, Gail E. Robbins

Dissertations and Theses

Reading readiness is a subject that concerns reading teachers and educators. Inadequate readiness training may cause some students to become late readers, who can be identified as students who score below their age and grade level on a standardized reading test. It is important to define reading readiness and examine the component skills and factors in order to help late readers. This examination was conducted by a study of reading-readiness literature. The reading-readiness skills include auditory discrimination, visual and visual-motor discrimination, development of language, concept formation, and reasoning skills. Readiness factors include fixed factors, social, and emotional factors. Fixed factors …

The Prediction Of Success-Failure And Terminating-Remaining In The Bibliotherapy Treatment Of Obesity, David John Mckay

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

136 obese adults, 119 females and 17 males, all at least 15% over their ideal weight, participated in a ten week self-administered bibliotherapy treatment of obesity. The study examined the relationship between socio-economic status, locus of control, field dependence and their interaction terms and success-failure and terminating-remaining in a totally self-administered behavioural self-help treatment. A multiple regression data analytic strategy was used for data analysis. Significant relationships were found between locus of control and total number of lessons completed and success-failure. Also, significant relationships were found between participants’ age and locus of control and terminating-remaining. The marginal results of the …

Parental Control Of Children's Television: An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Control And Family Home Evening, Marion Wixom Mccardell

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the relationship between a secular behavior—television control—and a religious one—Family Home Evening. The findings show that there is a relationship, with those having favorable attitudes toward Family Home Evening and those who hold casual FHE's being most inclined to exercise positive control over their children's television viewing.

Early Social Isolation And Subsequent Self-Punitive Behavior, Timothy Scott Strongin

Psychology ETDs

Sixty-six albino rats obtained from Simonson Laboratories were weaned at 21 days and randomly assigned, using a split litter technique, to groups of 1 (isolation) or 5 (control) where they were housed for 62 days. At the end of the rearing period, subjects were individually housed and given one five-minute habituation trial daily, for 6 days, to a standard plexiglass alleyway. On the seventh day, a standard, one-way instrumental avoidance paradigm using .6 ma shock was instituted. After achieving an acquisition criterion of 8/10 successive, successful shock avoidances, subjects were exposed to Brown's vicious circle paradigm using 0, .4, .6, …

Alcohol Consumption As A Function Of Applied Labels And Conception Of Alcoholism, Thomas Mitchell Boyd

Psychology ETDs

Much speculation but little experimental research has been directed toward the influence of the label "alcoholic" on drinking patterns. If, as has been theorized, attribution of behavior to a stable as opposed to an unstable determinant leads to maintenance of that behavior, then labeling drinking behavior as alcoholic, particularly among persons conceiving of alcoholism as a disease, may have a stabilizing influence on drinking behavior. Thirty-one subjects were first divided according to whether they regarded alcoholism as a "disease" or as a "bad habit." They were then randomly labeled as either "alcoholic or pre-alcoholic" or "social drinker," purportedly on the …

Death Anxiety And Religious Orientation, Dennis Wagner

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A sample of the general population from a small mid-South town was divided according to orthodoxy, devotionalism, denomination and denominational upbringing. Degree of death anxiety was assessed by the Templer Death Anxiety Scale. A multiple regression analysis of the data indicated that non-orthodox individuals or individuals having no religious affiliation had significantly lower death anxiety than their heterodox or religiously affiliated counterparts. Devotionalism, denomination and denominational upbringing were not significantly related to death anxiety. Several covariates were found to be related to death anxiety: death of a family member or friend (within one year), education, and father living or dead. …

Peer Facilitators: An Exploratory Study, Jeffrey Haskins

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Seventh grade males were trained as peer facilitators ;or a group of sixth grade males (peers) as part of an experimental guidance program. Training of peer facilitators was implemented through a modified short term human relations development model. Measures of personal, social, and overall adjustment, as assessed by the California Test of Personality, were obtained for the facilitators and group members before and after the peer facilitator program. No significant pre- and post-test differences were obtained on the select personality variables for either group. A method for assessing facilitative responsiveness was developed using written peer stimulus statements. In comparison to …

Proximity Of Reinforcement & The Protestant Ethic Effect, Sharon Miller

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Twelve food-deprived male rats were trained to barpress for food pellets in one of three operant chambers. The chambers were of standard size, double in length, or triple in length. After training, cod cup full of pellets was placed in the corner opposite the operant bar, and the eating behavior of the rats in this choice situation was observed. The dependent measure was the percentage of the total amount of food consumed that had been obtained by barpressing. Individual comparisons between the mean percentage of food earned over the four test sessions revealed that those rats in the longest chamber …

Leniency Error As A Function Of The Rater's Need For Social Approval, Danny Bean

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The effects of the rater's need for social approval (N-SA) on leniency error in ratings was investigated. Each of 19 supervisors rated the performance of a common set of 12 workers. Using an ANOVA procedure (Guilford, 1954) leniency error was identified. The effects of N-SA as measured by the Personal Reactions Inventory (Crowne & Marlowe, 1960) and the Least Preferred Coworker (Fiedler, 1967) were partialed out of the ratings. When the ANOVA was repeated on the partialed ratings, it was hypothesized that reduced leniency error would result. Contrary to expectations, there was virtually no reduction in leniency error. The low …

Street Survival Skills Questionnaire: The Design And Investigation Of A Measure Of Adaptive Behavior For The Mentally Retarded, Danny D. Linkenhoker

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study involved the design and investigation of a measure of adaptive behavior (Street Survival Skills Questionnaire) for the mentally retarded. Following a careful review of existing measures of adaptive behavior, a comprehensive review of research relating to prediction of independent living, and interviews with rehabilitation staff, a group of nine areas were targeted for inclusion in the instrument. These areas included Basic Concepts, Functional Signs, Measurement, Monetary, Time, Public Services, Safety and Personal Health, Domestic Management, and Implements and Tools. Items were then generated for each area in a multiple-choice, pictorial format that required a minimum of reading and …

The Application Of Behavior Modification Techniques To Two Geriatric Patients, Beth A. Schneider

Graduate Theses

Behavior modification techniques were applied to the behavioral problems of two geriatric nursing home residents. For the first subject, providing reinforcement for a competing activity effectively reduced both disruptive behavior defined as requests for cigarettes, attacking a fellow resident or unauthorized removal of charts, and time spent in the hallway. Similarly, for the second subject, offering reinforcement for out-of-bed behavior had the desired effect of increasing time spent out of bed. However, positive changes in behavior failed to generalize beyond the experimental situation, possibly due to an inability to exercise adequate control over the environment. Suggestions for establishing a totally …

The Role Of Prior Learning And Direct Reinforcement In Observational Learning And Vicarious Reinforcement, Larry D. Olsen

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Some Effects Of Variable Duration Conditioned Stimuli In A Conditioned Suppression Procedure, Harvey E. Jacobs

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Conditioned Reinforcement: An Attempt To Use Zimmerman Technique With Children, Priscila R. Derdyk

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Overcorrection Movements: Topographic Relation And Re-Educative Function, Pamela Roberts

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Training And Generalization Of Restauranting Skills: Programming Primary Reinforcement For Community Travel, Richard Aart Van Den Pol

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Stimulus Control Functions Following Discrimination Training Using A Drl Schedule Of Reinforcement, Kathleen M. Krafft

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Withdrawal From The Negative Cue On Learning A Simultaneous Discrimination, Carl Merle Johnson

Masters Theses

Three groups of rats learned a black-white discrimination in a Grice box. All subjects were reinforced with food pellets for correct choices. No-Retrace subjects were confined in the negative goal box after errors. Retrace subjects were allowed to withdraw after errors from the negative goal box to the choice point or start box. Take-Out subjects were manually removed from the goal box during errors immediately after inspecting the empty food dish. All subjects were trained to a criterion and then reversal training was instituted. Retrace subjects learned the original discrimination significantly slower than either No-Retrace or Take-Out subjects, which did …

The Cardiovascular Effects Of Human Contact With Coronary Artery Disease Patients In The Coronary Care Unit, Margaret A. Palmour

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Ten coronary artery disease patients were selected using purposive method of sampling and observed for six hours. It was postulated that 1) Human contact with coronary artery disease patients in the coronary intensive care unit would be associated with significant (p = 0.05) changes in the electrocardiogram such as: (a) increased heart rate more than 10 per cent, (b) changed atrio-ventricular conduction more than 10 per cent, (c) changed ST segment one millimeter or more and (d) increased frequency of ectopic beats more than 10 per cent. 2) The degree of stress and cardiac response was related to a number …

Emotion And Cognitive Perceptions In Response To Cinematographic And Non-Cinematographic Media, Stefani Nervig

Psychology ETDs

While the controversy continues over the extent to which responsibility for increases in social violence and aggression can be attributed to television and motion pictures, the accumulated evidence leaves little doubt that these media have come to have a tremendous influence on individual and social behavior. Both survey and experimental evidence have shown the film media to be capable of changing attitudes and values and of stimulating imitation and the observational learning of social behavior (Liebert, 1972; Robinson, 1972). These effects are most prominent, it would appear, in children and adolescents, but they are found also in older age groups.

Differential Effects Of Praise Types, Ronald M. Kennedy

Student Work

Sixty-two male Caucasian undergraduate Psychology students were randomly divided into four treatment groups wherein they all performed an identical task under the direction of a "supervisor." The supervisor dispensed either non-evaluative verbal feedback, Structured Praise, Considerate Praise, or a combination of Structured and Considerate Praise to subjects in treatment conditions one through four respectively. Considerate praise is characterized as aperiodic, unlinked (to the giving of a formal performance appraisal), informal (not required by the "system"), spontaneous, generally unwritten, "from the heart" type praise while structured praise is essentially just the opposite.

The dependent variables of task quantity, task quality, task …

Developmental Changes In Cognition: An Evaluation Of A Philosophy For Children Program, Leendert Baggerman

Student Work

The formal operational stage seems to differ considerably from earlier Piagetian stages. The first three Piagetian cognitive stages seem to develop fully in all individuals, unless there is a major cultural difference or a major psychopathology (Bruner, 1966). In contrast, there is disagreement in the literature as to whether formal operational reasoning fully develops in all normal individuals. Both Dulit (1972) and Tomlinson-Keasey (1972) found evidence that some normal individuals never attain formal operational reasoning. Others however (Jackson, 1965; Lovell, 1961) agree with Piaget (Inhelder and Piaget, 1958) that the emergence of formal operational reasoning occurs invariably between 11 and …

A Comparison Of Attitudes Toward Community Colleges With Attitudes Toward Four-Year Colleges, Robert L. Gillespie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this research was to determine if the attitudes of high school seniors toward community colleges and four-year colleges were significantly different according to socio-economic measures, and to see how they compared with their teachers'attitudes. (Abstract shortened.)

A Behavioral Systems Analysis Of Job Performance In A Food Co-Operative, Harry M. Kent

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Involuntarily And Voluntarily Committed Persons Compared Using Factor And Discriminant Function Analysis, Cheryl Marie Marrow

Dissertations and Theses

A comparison of the voluntary and involuntary patients at Dammasch State Hospital, Wilsonville, Oregon. A representative sample of cases over time, were chosen for the year 1976, 72 voluntary and 72 involuntary patients. One-hundred and twelve variables were coded onto sheets for each patient. The variables concerned marital status, job history, history of violent acts, present living situations and relationships, as well as drug history and diagnosis and treatment in the hospital. The data were coded onto cards and a computer analysis was done using Factor and Discriminant Function Analysis. It was hypothesized the populations of persons voluntarily admitted and …

Attitude Change Exhibited By Longwood College Students When Exposed To A Program Stimulus, Timothy Carter Brown

Theses & Honors Papers

No abstract provided.