Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Behavioral Changes Due To Overpopulation In Mice, James Robert Hammock

Dissertations and Theses

Previous research has found that if a population were allowed to exceed a comfortable density level, then many catastrophic events occurred such as increased mortality among the young, cannibalism, homosexuality, and lack of maternal functions. The most influential researcher in this area is Calhoun (1962), after whose experimental design a pilot study was fashioned to replicate his results. The results of this pilot study inspired a more detailed research project of which this thesis is an account.

Forty-eight albino mice of the Swiss Webster strain were divided into three groups of sixteen each. Each group consisted of ten females and …

The Assessment Of Attitudes Toward Psychology As An Effective Variable In Psychological Research, Joseph Galloway

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This research investigated the reliability and validity of the Psychological Research Survey (PRS). Naive introductory psychology students who had not previously participated in psychological experimentation served as Ss for the reliability assessment. Split-half and test-retest coefficients indicated high reliability. Construct validity was estimated with the use of developmental and situational tests. The PRS was expected to discriminate a more positive attitude toward psychology and psychological research as students progressed from introductory to more advanced courses in psychology. A simple analysis of variance of Ss' PRS scores failed to indicate a significant re-ult. A situation was designed whereby Ss behavior indicated …

Haptic Perception Of The Mueller-Lyer Illusion By The Blind, James G. Patterson

Student Work

This study measured the extent to which the following four groups of Ss experienced the Mueller-L yer illusion: a group of ten congenital blind, ten Ss blinded in adulthood, ten sighted blindfolded Ss presented the illusion haptically, and ten sighted Ss presented the illusion visually. All of the groups experienced the illusion to a significant extent. The extent of illusion in the sighted haptic group was significantly less than that in each of the other groups, p < . 025 in each case. None of the other pairs of means w ere significantly different. Thus the results show that the blind do experience the Mueller-Lyer illusion similarly to the sighted, but the extent of illusion is much less for the sighted blindfolded. A positional memory hypothesis was presented to account for these results. It proposes that the blind have learned to remember the haptic location of objects in their environment but that the sighted have not developed this skill to the same degree.

A Test Of The "Contiguity" And "Generalized Imitation" Theories Of Social Modeling Processes, Gerald R. Adams

Student Work

Imitative behavior was studied using 36 kindergarten children who were either reinforced or not reinforced for imitative behavior prior to observing a male model exhibit aggressive behaviors. The children were tested for imitative aggressive behaviors in an 8-minute freeplay situation using a five category rating scale. The results revealed that the reinforced group emitted significantly more physical, verbal, and nonimitative aggression than the nonreinforced group. A second test examined the retention of the model's aggressive behavior under an incentive condition. The incentive condition diminished the initial differences found in the first test, revealing a nonsignificant difference between the reinforced and …

A Comparison Of The Perceptual And Motor Abilities Of Learning Disabled And Normal Students At Ages Eleven And Twelve, Rachel Adams Thompson

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

No abstract.

The Effects Of Marihuana Extract Distillate On Eating Behavior Of Rats, Terrie Wetle

Dissertations and Theses

Since hunger drive is often used as a motivating factor in animal learning experimentation, it was decided to determine the effects of marihuana extract distillate on the eating behavior of rats. Carlini and Kramer (1965) found marihuana extract injections to have a faciliatory effect upon maze performance. They suggested that facilitation could have resulted from and increase in hunger drive. However, if the dosage level is high, this effect may last for a short time and be followed by a disinterest in food. Scheckel et al. (1968) report that some monkeys, at very high dosage levels of tetrahydrocannabinol starved to …

"Transcendental Meditation: A Vision Of Possibilities", Walter Koch

Special Collections: Oregon Public Speakers

No abstract provided.

Post-Discrimination Gradients: The Averaging Hypothesis, Michael Glenn Grisham

Psychology ETDs

The averaging hypothesis states that intermediate rates in generalization tests represent a composite of two interresponse time (IRT) topographies established during prior acquisition. A short-IRT topography, characteristic of S^D responding, and a long-IRT topography, characteristic of S^Δ responding, occur in different proportions as a function of generalization test stimulus value. Demonstrations of averaging have had limited generality due to departures from the typical discrimination training and test procedures. The present experiment investigated averaging in a context distinguished from typical discrimination training and test procedures only by the use of separate manipulanda for the collection of S^D and …

The Effect Of Labeling Disfluencies As 'Stuttering' And Contingent And Yoked "Wrong" On The Disfluencies Of Normal Speakers, Dennis Ray Staines

Dissertations and Theses

A labeling variable suggested by Wendell Johnson's "diagnosogenic" theory of the onset of stuttering was included in this study of the disfluencies of normal speaking college students in order to explore further the hypothetical relationship between normal disfluency and the onset of stuttering. A total of 60 Ss were randomly assigned to the following groups, each containing 10 Ss: I. Labeling Chastisement plus Contingent "wrong;" II. Labeling Chastisement plus Yoked (non-contingent) "wrong;" III. Labeling Chastisement - No "wrong;" IV. No Labeling Chastisement Contingent "wrong;" V. No Labeling Chastisement - Yoked "wrong;" VI. No Labeling Chastisement - No "wrong" …

The Selection Of Bank Management Trainees: A Validation Study, James G. Overton

Master's Theses

Twelve studies of psychometric prediction using cognitive ability tests with upper level managerial samples are summarized. Of these, only two yield essentially positive results. Meyer (1956) found·a correlation of .27 between Wonderlic scores and overall ratings of 142 supervisors. However, since the raters were free to examine predictor-scores while making their ratings, there is strong evidence that the criterion was contaminated. In an unpublished study, Laurent (1962) correlated ratings of managers with Miller Analogies Test and non-verbal abiliti test scores. With over 200 persons in each sample, he found correlations ranging from .18 to .29, all significant. The majority of …

Effects Of Volition And Justification On The Arousal Of Dissonance During Performance Of A Dull Task, George Roger Schoenhals

All Master's Theses

The present study seeks to add a modest degree of clarification to the present condition of dissonance theory. More specifically, its main purpose is to help define certain conditions for the arousal of cognitive dissonance.

A Survey Of The Integration Of Exceptional Children In Regular Classrooms, Catherine A. Greene

All Master's Theses

Educational practice in the past has been to segregate exceptional children by placing them in self-contained special education classrooms. Recently, however, this method has been questioned by leading special educators. Proponents of segregation of exceptional children admit to inadequacies in the present situation, but they argue that such inadequacies can be remedied and do not justify placing exceptional children in regular classrooms. Proponents of integration maintain that exceptional children live in a heterogeneous world and as adults will live and work in a heterogeneous world; therefore, these children should have a school setting that is like the world in which …

The Effects Of A Behavior Modification Program On The Self Concepts Of Children In Special Education, Barbara M. Scott

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to determine whether using a behavior modification approach to teaching children will help to raise a child's self concept.

The Effects Of Visual Feedback And Level Of Aggression On The Application Of Noxious Stimuli, Gary W. Rawson

Student Work

Sixty-four male undergraduate students who were enrolled in an introductory psychology course were used as subjects to determine the effect which visual feedback and level of aggression have on the application of a noxious stimulus to another human being. Equal numbers of high and low aggressive Ss, based on Edwards Personal Preference Schedule scores, were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups, defined by type of visual feedback. The Ss were permitted to select the intensity and duration of hypothetical electric shock which they could apply to a male confederate as punishment for supposedly incorrect responses in a learning …

Changing Attitudes By Means Of Classical Conditioning, Larry R. Smeltzer

Student Work

As knowledge of attitude change processes has grown, a wide variety of theoretical analyses have been developed to integrate portions of this knowledge and to guide further research. Many theorists argue that attitude change and formation in the "real world" are produced by the fundamental mechanisms of classical conditioning (Kiesler, Collins, and Miller, 1969) but little research has been done to support such a theory.

Effects Of Prior Experience Of One Group Member On The Performance Of The Wheel Network, Mark Hinterthuer

Student Work

The present study investigated the effects of prior experience of one group member on the performance of the wheel network. Groups participating in the experiment included four experimental groups and a control group. The four experimental groups included combinations of centrally or peripherally trained Ss transferred to a central or peripheral position in naive wheel networks. Dependent variables were measured in four categories: time, number of messages, number of errors, and individual ratings on a post-communication questionnaire. The position occupied by the experienced Ss during training had no apparent effect on their transfer group,s performance. The network position of the …

A Pilot Study For The Development Of A Children's Norm On Hooper's Visual Organization Test (Vot) And An Examination Of Clough's Perceptual Organization Test (Pot), Polly Paul

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology in the Graduate School of Morehead State University by Polly Paul on May 30, 1971.

An Interactional Approach To Weight Reduction, Carole T. Gygi

Dissertations and Theses

A treatment program was designed to enable subjects to lose weight through the use of self-confrontation as described in Saslow (1969), and the use of the General Relationship Improvement of the Human Development Institute (HDI), Berlin and Wyckoff (1964).

Self-confrontation is a programmed rehearsal of a specific problem by one person alone, for a five-minute period. The rehearsal, or self-confrontation is to be as vivid as possible, intellectually, emotionally, visually and physically.

The General Relationship Improvement Program is a 10-week text, worked in pairs, which is aimed at better intrapsychic and interpersonal communication and understanding.

Four matched groups were used …

An Attempt To Find Predictor Variables Which Will Discriminate Between Those Patients Who Seek Aftercare Treatment And Those Who Do Not Seek Aftercare Treatment Upon Discharge From A Psychiatric Ward, Nena V. Johnstone, William D. Lynch, Philip M. Baldwin, John C. Kemp

Dissertations and Theses

This is an exploratory follow-up study of the clientele of the Psychiatric Crisis Unit, a short-term, crisis-oriented inpatient psychiatric ward. The main objective of the research was to test the following null hypothesis: there are no significant differences between those individuals who attempt to gain aftercare treatment as opposed to those individuals who do not following discharge from the Crisis Unit.

A sample of fifty-one voluntary patients who consented to participate in the study was used in testing this hypothesis. Each subject completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (M.M.P.I.) and a sociological questionnaire while in the Crisis Unit, and a …

Effects Of Three Training Techniques On The Swimming Abilities Of Trainable And Educable Mentally Retarded Children, Richard Abramson

Senior Scholar Papers

The acquisition and incorporation of physical skills are a necessary and desirable part of our everyday life. Requisite to our contact with children, students, patients, and adults in the teaching of physical skills is the ability to communicate effectively. Verbal instruction may often be very effective in teaching physical skills, but there is some significant evidence to indicate that children and slow learners do not always have the necessary verbal skil1s. Much of human behavior, including concept learning, has often been represented by a single unit S-R theory. For Kendler and Vineberg (1954), this single unit S-R theory is inappropriate …

Anxiety Level Of Graduate Students In Social Work, Sophia Kouidou-Giles, George Albert Mckee

Dissertations and Theses

This study was designed to determine (1) the trend of anxiety level of social work students, term by term, over the academic year; (2) the cyclical trend of anxiety level of social work students within each term and (3) the effects of age and sex on level of anxiety among social work students.

Anxiety was measured with the IPAT - 8 Parallel Form Anxiety Battery. This test was administered to twenty randomly selected first year students in the School of Social Work during the 1969-1970 academic year at Portland State University. Data was collected from six test administrations which …

Sub-Aversive Response Contingent Foot Shock As A Positive Reinforcer, Robert Lea Fulwiler

All Master's Theses

Forty-eight rats were divided into 8 groups; four were maintained under normal conditions and the other four under sensory deprivation and tested at o, 3, 6, and 9 days after condition institution. The response was placing the head through a hole in the operant chamber and the stimulus (0, 1.2, 4, or 12 Vac) was contingent upon the response. Analysis ot variance disclosed significant differences (p<.01) between the deprived and the non-deprived groups at days 6 and 9; and a significant interaction between deprivation condition and time of test. No differences were shown between the stimulus intensities indicating that the stimulus did not have a reinforcing effect.

Using A Participating Relationship To Improve Teen-Age Unwed Mother's Self-Esteem, Linda Gail Reeves

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The study was to provide an approach to help teen-age unwed mothers increase their feelings of self-esteem and thereby attain a conceptual buffer for better coping with life. Self-esteem was defined as individual perception of the worth of oneself relative to that of significant others. The hypothesis tested was that the participating relationship a community health nurse has with a teen-age unwed mother will significantly increase the mother's self-esteem as measured by statistical Q-Sort analysis.

A convenience sample of twenty teen-age unwed mothers was obtained from referrals from San Bernardino County Health, Welfare, and Probation Departments. The girls were between …

The Changing Role Of The Secondary Counselor In Career Guidance, Norman D. Devries

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

Work can be viewed as man's aim in life, or as his instrument to achieve other goals. Whatever the view, it is wrong to allow the vagueness and error that many individuals frequently face when choosing a career. If we are going to meet this demand, it will be necessary to make vocational guidance available to all those who are making or will make a vocation choice.

Continuance Vs. Discontinuance In Family Counseling, Katherine Anderson, Alice Dudley, Mayetta Rocks

Dissertations and Theses

The study was designed to examine the social workers' and clients' perceptions of change in the treatment process; specifically to examine the question of why clients discontinue service prior to planful termination. Also, the authors attempted to assess the client's perception of gain and the worker's assessment of gain.

Contrast Effects : Incentive Value Of N-Lengths, F. Douglas Cummins

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

E.J. Capaldi has developed a sequential explanation of the partial reinforcement effect. The central assumption of this explanation is that non reinforced trials occasion a specific and distinctive internal stimulus and that this stimulus is progressively modified by successive non reinforcements.

In this experiment, forty, male albino Holtzman rats traversed a straight alley runway under different patterns of partial reinforcement. Group One received an N3-length, i.e., three successive non-reinforced trials followed by a reinforced trial. Group Two received an N1-length, i.e., one non-reinforced trial followed by a reinforced trial. Group Three received an N3-length for the first ten days of …

The Effects Of Cs Habituation And Duration Of The Directional Modification Of The Cardiac Response In The Guinea Pig (Cavia Procellus), Ray Charles Larson

All Master's Theses

The present experiment examined the effects of CS habituation and two different levels of CS duration (60 versus 6 sec) on the directional modification of the conditioned cardiac response in the guinea pig. The results indicated that the only reaction to the CS, regardless of prior habituation or CS duration, was a decelerative conditioned HR response. However, habituation to a CS prior to classical aversive conditioning was found to attenuate the magnitude of the bradycardia CR that developed. The bradycardia CR was discussed in terms of being a cardiac component of the orienting response.

Beards And Their Effect On Dimensions Of Self Concept, Douglas C. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effects of beards on aspects of self concept were studied. Experimental and control groups were administered measures of "self concept" in pre and post test situations. The experimental group grew beards while the control group continued to shave during the time interim. Results were analyzed using analysis of covariance, but failed to produce any significant differences.

Differences were found, however, in post test results of the within group variability of the experimental group in two areas: feeling reactivity and capacity for intimate contact. This suggests that possibly beards affect people in a wider variety of ways in their sensitivity …

N-Achievement Motivation Of Male Navaho Indian Students As Measured By An Acculturated N-Achievement Scale, Rex C. Ivory

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The problem which formed the basis of this research was to answer the question: "Can an acculturated version of McClelland's original n-Achievement scale be significantly more effective in measuring n-Achievement motivation of male Navaho Indian subjects than McClelland's original n-Achievement scale?" An answer to this question would hopefully be reason enough for using an acculturated n-Achievement scale to provide new information relative to the Navaho Indian's need to achieve.

The major underlying objective of this study was to develop a more effective projective scale than McClelland in measuring a Navaho Indian's n-Achievement motivation. This objective was not reached; however, the …

The Effects Of Shock-Induced Attack On Bar Pressing For Liquid Food Reinforcement, Joseph G. Hayes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Induced attack was studied under three conditions: (1) paired experimentally naive rats were exposed to intense electrical shock; (2) experimental subjects, previously trained to respond on a fixed ratio of six responses for liquid food reinforcement, were paired with target animals with the reinforcement contingency in effect; (3) experimental subjects were given a history of responding on a fixed ratio of six responses for positive reinforcement in the presence of shock, and finally this group was paired with experimentally naive targets when both the reinforcement and shock variables were present.

Pairing experimental animals without shock did not cause attack, nor …