Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Bayes’ Theorem: A Model For Human Probability Estimate Revision, William H. Hickok

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine Bayes' Theorem as a model for the description of how humans utilize information based on uncertain (probabilistic) relationships between the relevant cues and the outcome-classes.

A Study Of Aquisition Of Stimulus Matching, Stanley George Smith

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Electroconvulsive Shock Following One-Trial Avoidance Learning In The Rat, Richard H. Lovely

All Master's Theses

It is hypothesized that (1) If rats are given electroconvulsive shock, following a footshock to condition an avoidance response, they will display initial retrograde amnesia and that this amnesia will diminish over time as manifested by recovery of the avoidance response; (2) This recovery is not a pure function of time but involves re-exposure to the original learning situation.

Conservatism In A Bayesian Probability Situation As A Function Of The Sex Of The Subject, Paul Frederick Miller

All Master's Theses

The present study was designed to examine whether the conservatism present in a Bayesian probability situation could be partially attributable to the sex of the subjects performing the task. The experimental design required that the subjects estimate the probabilities of occurrence of two independent events. They were then given an opportunity to revise their estimates as additional information was experimentally introduced into the situation. These estimates were compared to estimates calculated from Bayes’ theorem.

Individual! Person! Community! What Do We Mean When We Use These Terms?, Wendall Thomas

Green Revolution

No abstract provided.

Variables Influencing Cooperative Escape And Aggressive Behavior, Robert Walter Taylor

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Relation Of Aggression To Escape Opportunity, Marshall Wolfe

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Differential Instructions And The Level Of Task Complexity On Decision Time, Dean Robert Mogelgaard

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Pain Elicited Aggression As A Function Of Withdrawal From Etonitazene Dependency, John Florea

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Overlearning And The Associative Value Of The Stimuli Upon Reversal Learning, Ralph Daniel Marken

All Master's Theses

In this experiment the relevance of the associative value of the stimuli in an overlearning reversal task will be examined as well as the persistence to respond to the former positive stimulus after reversal. That is, (1) Does the associative value of the stimuli have an effect upon the occurrence of the ORE, and (2) Do human Ss who have received overlearning tend to respond to the former positive stimulus upon reversal for more trials than do subjects receiving no overlearning as has been found for animals?

Social Reinforcement And Generalization Of Changes In Verbal Behavior Development, William J. Mayville

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Accuracy Of Prediction Motion In Depth, Neal I. Gelfand

Masters Theses

The study examined the effects of five variables: knowledge of results, distance, stimulus gradient, target speed, and temporal delay (a measure of temporal relationship between the target and standard) on the accuracy with which 3s could predict the arrival of a moving target at the position of a stationary standard.

The results of an analysis of variance on the data obtained from 52 Ss indicated that the variables of knowledge of results, distance.- speed, and temporal delay had statistically significant effects; but no statistical significance was indicated for effects of the gradient variable. Three statistically significant interactions were also indicated: …

A Comparative Study Of Flexibility Between Institutional And Community, Male, Adolescent Retardates, Casper Ferneti

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

This study was undertaken for the purpose of investigating the possibility of an appreciable difference in flexibility between institutional and community male, adolescent, retardates. The property of flexibility was chosen for investigation since the development of this attribute seems to be critical to occupational success in terms of satisfactory, inter-personal relationships. To begin with, an incidental sample was selected from the two Shawnee County special education classrooms in Topeka, Kansas. Matched for chronological age and verbal IQ, a second sample was chosen from the Parsons State Hospital and Training Center, Parsons, Kansas. A test was developed to measure spontaneous semantic …

The Interaction Of External And Mediating Cues As A Function Of Type Of Stimulus Pretraining And Intralist Stimulus Similarity, David M. Del Castillo

Psychology ETDs

This experiment was design0d to test two implications derived from the hypotheses of acquired distinctiveness and equivalence of cues, and to determine the way in which similarity among external stimuli and distinctive vs. common mediating cues, interact to affect the learned distinctiveness or equivalence of cues. It was predicted from the acquired distinctiveness hypotheses that relative]y greater positive transfer would result when distinctive mediating responses were attached to highly similar stimuli than when these same responses were attached to stimuli that were initially low in similarity. A parallel prediction, derived from the acquired equivalence hypothesis, was that negative transfer would …

The Relative Efficiency Of Auditory (Social) Reinforcement Vs. Food Reinforcement With The Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri Sciureus) In An Operant Situation, David R. Mcmurray

All Master's Theses

Research using non-deprivation and sensory or food reinforcement has received little attention to the present time. It is possible that, at least in the laboratory, sensory reinforcement under non- deprived conditions may be a much more economical and efficient reinforcer than food reinforcement under deprived conditions, which is traditionally used.

Delayed Auditory Feedback And Retention Testing Time, Wayne K. Miller

All Master's Theses

There have been many studies exploring variables that contribute to the appearance of the phenomenon, but strikingly few studies attempting to relate DAF to learning. Since sensory feed back is very important to behavior and especially learning, it would seem that the DAF phenomenon could yield some significant information for learning.

The Effect Of Morphine On Conditioned Suppression And Response Topography Of The Hooded Rat, Douglas Charles Reberg

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Concept Instruction Effects In Complex Problem Solving, Charles Jay Gadway

Student Work

Since relevant environmental factors and individual differences affect problem solving behavior, E evaluated interactive effects of situational problem, response, and concept instructions, and abstracting ability. A crossed-factorial design with two levels of each environmental factor (given and not given) and two levels of abstracting ability (high and low) was used. The criteria were efficiency in solving 15 complex numerical problems by S on a five point scale. The hypotheses are that Ss receiving concept instructions can solve the problems faster and more accurately and express more confidence I their solutions than Ss not receiving them.

Input And Output Speed Components Of Learning-To-Learn, Jon G. Rogers

Psychology ETDs

Input and output speed were investigated to determine if they were components of learning-to-learn. The major criterion used to distinguish learning-to-learn from warm-up has generally (e.g. Hamilton, 1950) been the temporal persistence of learning-to-learn phenomena.

Sixteen paired-associate practice lists consisting of high frequency words were presented for two trials to four acquisition groups in two sessions a day apart. Each acquisition group received input at either a fast (2 sec.) or slow (5 sec.) rate. Input speed (i.e., study interval) was the time the stimulus-response unit appeared. Subjects were required to respond to a light occurring at either a fast …

The Effect Of Associative Factors On Generalization Gradients In Shape Recognition, Robert L. Feuge

Psychology ETDs

It is generally observed that positive transfer will ensue from an A-B, A-C paradigm, provided the responses, B and C, are sufficiently different so as to minimize interlist confusion (Arnoult, 1957; Ellis, 1965). This paradigm, known as the "stimulus predifferentiation paradigm", produces positive transfer presumably because pretraining on relevant stimuli (A) differentiates the stimuli, making them less "confusing" or more "distinctive". This enhanced distinctiveness increases the ease with which new responses may be attached to the stimuli.

Guarded And Unguarded Responses To Sentence Completion Tests Among Normal Adolescents And Juvenile Delinquents, Mohammed K. Fazel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was designed to test the responses of a group of juvenile delinquests and a group of normal adolescents to a sentence completion test. The test used was a modified form of Sack's Sentence Completion test in two forms--form A, first person stems and form B, third person stems. The hypothesis to be tested were (1) people project more in the third person, (2) the normal projects more, and (3) there would be no difference in projection on neutral items. The results bear out the three hypothesis. The sex scale, however, was an exception. This may be due to …

An Experiment To Determine If Teacher Preparation In A Small High School Can Be Reduced By Alternating Class Scheduling, John Carl Tuft

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine if by alternating certain classes biennially the number of different teaching preparations could be reduced thus decreasing the teachers' load. The study also attempted to ascertain the effect this type of scheduling had upon the attitudes of teachers and students toward these classes. A further attempt was made to determine if mixing students from two grade levels resulted in the younger student being penalized with respect to his cumulative grade point average.

The significant conclusions that can be drawn from the results follow:

Teachers, generally, thought well of the project and desires …

A Method For Quantifying The Effects Of Apomorphine Upon The Gnawing Syndrome Of The Rat, Paul Robinson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Various methods were tried in an attempt to obtain a technique for quantifying the gnawing effects of apomorphine on rats. A technique using a restraining tube was developed.

Under a 2 milligram per kilogram intraperitoneal injection of apomorphine, four female Long Evans hooded rats were placed on continuous and fixed reinforcement schedules using a gnawable pine block. Subjects would learn to turn their heads away from the gnawable object in order to obtain 15 seconds of gnawing time. The rate of response increased from less than one response in 5 minutes to over 3 responses per minute in 10 one-half …

The Effects Of Response Set On The Structured-Objective Rorschach Test, Richard Y. Moody

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The normal forced-choice Structured-Objective Rorschach Test (SORT) and a modified free-choice SORT were administered to sixty high school students to determine the effects of response set (e.g. social desirability). The results were inconclusive. The following trends, however, were observed: (1) The free-choice modification was more resistant to response set distortion than the normal forced-choice SORT. (2) The free-choice administration showed greater flexibility in enhancement and resistance to social desirability. (3) There was little sex difference in factor scores with respect to choice administration. Females, however, gave more responses than males on the free-choice SORT.

Internal Versus External Control Of Reinforcement As A Variant Of Concern For The Teacher And Counselor, Neldon Devere Kingston

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rotter's (1954, 1960, 1964) social learning theory suggests that a reinforcement acts to strengthen an expectancy. These expectancies may differ from situation to situation; however, it is postulated (Rotter, 1960) that they bear a direct relationship to the potential occurrence of a behavior. Furthermore,

"...it is presumed that the relationship between goal preference (reinforcement value) and behavior can be determined only by introducing the concept of the individual's expectancy, on the basis of past history, that the given behavior will actually lead to a satisfying outcome rather than to punishment, failure, or, more generally, to negative reinforcement." (Rotter, 1960, p. …

Control Of Behavior Through Reinforcement Menus, Gary Lyndle Holt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Reinforcement menus were used to change response probabilities while maintaining control over two ''trainable," female, mentally retarded children.

An empirically determined reinforcement menu representing high probability behaviors, five for S₁ and four for S₂, was used in a contingency management system. Instructions were given concerning the contingencies for obtaining reinforcement. Subjects were allowed the opportunity to engage in a high probability behavior only after successful completion of fixed units of reading or arithmetic tasks. After stable performance was established, four additional menus were prepared to approximate in increasing degree, low probability behavior. Measurements were taken of task …

A Comparison Of Intellectually Normal Children, Mentally Retarded Adolescents, And Mentally Retarded Adults On A Three Dimensional Concept Formation Sorting Task, James C. Kamprud

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purposes of this study were: (1) to compare nine groups of subjects composed of intellectually normal children, mentally retarded adolescents, and mentally retarded adults on a three dimensional concept formation task; (2) to determine the effects of discrimination training on the sortings of the nine groups on the experimental task.

The 207 subjects of this study were divided into nine groups. Seven of the groups, consisting of high average and low average grade 3, superior high average, and low average grade 6, and high and low adolescent retardates were chosen on the bases of school grade level (3, 6, …

Variation In The Order Of Presentation Of Cues As One Variable In Concept Organization, John E. Genasci

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the experiment, with forty-eight students as subjects, a series of nonsense syllables (DAX, MEF, TOV, VIC, YOP, ZIP, and ZIL) were to be associated with four geometric figures. The task was so arranged that Zip applied to all figures, Dax and Vic to subsets of two figures each, and the remaining were individual labels. In each of three experiments there was an experimental group that received pre-response cueing by means of an analogy which involved hierarchic concepts in the same general form, i. e ., animal, wild, tame, and individual names.

The results suggest that the order and timing …

Relationship Between Self-Concept Discrepancies And The Expression Of Need Achievement In Children, Ian Griggs

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that a significant relationship exists between self-concept discrepancies and expressed need for achievement.

A self-concept discrepancy score was obtained and a low and high discrepancy group was isolated.

Expressed need for achievement was measured by the use of the Thematic Apperception Test and scored according to the Atkinson method.

Mean comparisons of need achievement scores of subjects whose discrepancies between actual and ideal self-concept were in the upper or lower one-third of the distribution were found not to be significant at the 5 percent level of confidence.

The Relationship Of Delinquent Types In An Industrial School Setting To Personality-Motivation Profiles, Lester A. Carlson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The author serves as Director of Education of the Utah State Industrial School, a school charged with the responsibility for the custody and treatment of delinquents committed to its care from the juvenile courts of the state. For many years he has been concerned about the personality structure of the children committed to the care of the Industrial School. He became particularly interested in the possibility that there is a definable relationship between types of delinquent acts and personality-motivation profiles. Further motivation was given to this interest when he received an answer to some correspondence from a colleague of Dr. …