Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Effects Of Task Difficulty On Pupil Diameter In A Choice Reaction Time Task, Coleen Thornton

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The effects of task difficulty on pupil diameter in a choice reaction time (CRT) task were investigated. Pupil diameter data were collected from 24 subjects using the NASA Langley Research Center oculometer system. Task difficulty was defined by the number of paired stimulus-response alternatives and stimulus-response compatibility. A unique S-R ensemble which required an oculometeric (eye-movement) response and graphic symbols as stimuli was employed in the CRT task. The procedures used replicated Hick's Law for the first time on an oculometer. The S-R compatibility effect was not found to influence this linear trend. The results indicated that pupil diameters for …

The Effects Of Task Load On Heart Rate And Heart Rate Variability, Paula Jeanne Guerette

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The relationship between task load and cardiovascular measures was investigated during single- and dual-task performance. The results showed significant reductions in Heart Rate Variability and the Blood pressure component of the Power Spectral Density function during task performance. No significant changes in HR were seen from baseline to task. However, differences in directional responding between subjects seemed to have obscured these effects. When direction of the HR response was disregarded and absolute magnitude of response was analyzed, significant differences from baseline to task were seen. There was no difference in physiological responding from single- to dual-task trials. Future research examining …

The Implications Of Varying Levels Of Task Automation On Workload, Micheline Y. Eyraud

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study investigated the effects of the addition of automation on task workload. Utilizing a modified secondary task paradigm, the workload which was imposed by three different levels of automation, selected from the continuum of automation on each of two primary tasks, was assessed by comparing performance on a secondary task which remained unaided in all conditions. The levels of automation under investigation in the present study were manual, intermediate, and total aiding. The primary tasks selected for investigation were a sensory-decision making task and compensatory tracking task. A long-term memory task was chosen as the secondary task. It …

Decreasing Allied Support For Anti-Soviet Strategic Embargoes A Demonstration Of The Declining Hegemony Of The United States, Tracey A. Johnstone

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This thesis evaluates the declining hegemony of the United States over its allies since the end of World War II. Robert Gilpin and Robert Keohane's theories about the decline in U.S. hegemony are discussed as are the hegemonic theories of Gramsci as interpreted by Robert Cox. The three progressively hostile reactions of U.S. allies to U.S.-initiated embargoes against the Eastern Bloc are used to illustrate the decreasing control of the United States over the economic and strategic policies of its allies. The conclusion states' that Ronald Reagan ignored historical trends and contemporary international politics when he decided to force U.S. …

Speech Anxiety As A Self-Handicapping Strategy, Gerald Macon Travis

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study tested the hypothesis that trait speech-anxious females use reports of speech anxiety symptoms and self-statements reflecting speech anxiety as a self-handicapping strategy to preserve their self-esteem when confronted with an evaluative threat situation. Forty-eight college females, classified into high and low speech anxiety groups on the basis of their responses to the Personal Report of Confidence as a Speaker (PRCS; Paul, 1966), served as subjects, It was predicted that trait speech-anxious subjects would report more speech anxiety symptoms and self-statements reflecting speech anxiety in an evaluative setting in which speech anxiety could serve as an explanation for …

Wind Streamline Ambiguity Removal Of Microwave Scatterometer Data, Hans W. Zaepfel

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

There is a class of satellite microwave scatterometers that return oceanographic information which includes wind vectors with directional ambiguity. The first part of the ambiguity removal process is to reduce the data to a directional ambiguity of 180°. This thesis shows that wind direction change contains the information required for streamline ambiguity removal and that syntactic pattern recognition techniques can be used to locate the areas of wind direction change. Spreading the information along the areas of wind direction change results in the removal of the streamline ambiguity. The algorithm is implemented and the results are presented showing that it …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Mental Resources And Performance Strategies, Douglas L. Miller

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Based on the work of Klapp, Marshburn, and Lester (1983) and more generally on principles of the Multiple Resource Theory, it was proposed that human short-term memory consists of two mental resource channels, one that is tapped by span memory tasks and one tapped by immediate working memory tasks. It was further hypothesized that dual-task performance would be better under conditions where one of the component tasks tapped the proposed span memory channel and one tapped the proposed working memory channel, than when both tasks tapped the same channel. In addition, it was hypothesized that dual-tasks tapping the same memory …

The Effectiveness Of Three Modes Of Conversation On Coping With Stress In Same Sex Friendship Dyads, Robert Sal Costanza

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

To induce stress, pairs of friends, serving as subjects, were told they would be moving a spider through a maze. In three experimental conditions the friends were allowed to talk with one another prior to interacting with the spider; in the fourth condition the subjects waited alone. The conversations were structured so that the differential effects of problem-solving, emotion-based, or situationally unrelated discussion between friends could be observed on measures of negative mood state and behavioral fear. Subjects in the emotion-based condition generally experienced the greatest amounts of negative mood and fear. Problem-solving and unrelated discussions resulted in lower levels …

Bark Or Bite Perspectives On Economic Sanctions For Foreign Policy Objectives, Rodney W. Skotty

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Economic sanctions have been used throughout history to coerce target nations to acquiesce in the objectives of nations that impose them. The record of achievement, using sanctions as a tool of foreign policy, has been poor. Regardless, nations continue to use economic sanctions to attain their goals despite their relative ineffectiveness. And as nations apply sanctions frequently to resolve international conflicts, such frequency tends to impair the credibility of sanctions as an implement of foreign policy. The fact that they are imposed frequently, also reflects that they are used to rectify lesser violations of the international norm. In view of …

Multitrait-Multimethod Analysis Of Performance Ratings Using Behaviorally Anchored And Behavioral Checklist Formats, Todd A. Baker

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The construct validity of a behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) and a behavioral checklist was examined for evaluation of performance in leaderless group discussions. The assessors consisted of 12 graduate students in industrial/organizational psychology who were randomly assigned to use the behavioral checklist or the BARS format. Performance ratings were made of 12 ratees in both assigned and nonassigned role leaderless group discussions. The ratings were analyzed with a multitrait-multimethod approach using analysis of variance (Dickinson 1977; 1984) ~ Convergent validity and discriminant validity were found for the assigned discussion, whereas only discriminant validity was found for the nonassigned discussion. …

An Information Processing Approach To The Study Of Map Interpretation, Susan Vaughan Felton

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Three variables involved in map interpretation (rotation, planar angle, and scale) were examined from an information processing perspective to determine whether they were characterized by serial, parallel, or a combination of serial and parallel processing. Sex differences in these processes were also examined. Participants viewed a series of pairs of slides depicting various combinations of rotations, planar angles, and scales, and were asked to determine whether the pair represented the same array viewed from a different viewpoint. Accuracy and response time were the dependent variables of interest. Results indicated that the number of manipulations that were involved in a problem …

Landmark Selection And Temporal-Spatial Integration: Macrospatial Abilities In Young Adults And Elderly Adults, Deans Haggerty

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Groups of young adults and elderly adults participated in a study examining age-related changes in macrospatial cognitive abilities. Perceptual differentiation/selection abilities were tested using a Landmark Selection task, while temporal-spatial integration abilities were explored through the use of a Scrambled Route task. In the Landmark Selection task, subjects viewed a slide presentation of a walk and then chose the landmarks which best represented the walk. For the Scrambled Route task, after viewing a slide presentation of a scrambled walk, subjects made distance estimations involving pairs of selected landmarks. Also included were self-assessment scales of spatial abilities and two psychometric tests …

Cognitive Influences On Flavor Discrimination: Training Novices For Beer Flavor Differentiation, Rosalynn M. Peron

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Four training techniques were employed to investigate the effects of increasing knowledge of beer flavor on novices' ability to differentiate among beers on the basis of taste. These techniques included (a) learning definitions of beer flavor terminology (Verbal Condition); (b) having additional experience with taste sensations (Taste Condition); (c) having a combination of the verbal and taste techniques (Verbal/Taste Condition); and (d) no training (Control Condition). After preliminary testing, 40 subjects (10 per training condition) were selected to participate in pre- and post-training tasks in which they rated similarity between beers, between beers and flavor-descriptive adjectives, and between flavor-descriptive adjectives. …

Attributions For Violence In Relationships: Do Battered Women Blame Themselves?, Debra Down

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The central purpose of this research was to compare attributions of blame for spousal violence made by women who were in violent relationships with those of abused women who had sought shelter and those of women who had never been abused. Both clinicians and researchers (e.g., Frieze, 1979; Walker, 1979) have included victims of marital abuse among victims who self-blame, and have contended that self-blame contributes to remaining in an abusive relationship. Previous work, however, has not considered the repetitive nature of spouse abuse, and has routinely confounded self-causality with self-blame.

Nonabused women and abused women who remained in relationships …

The Development Of A Paper-And-Pencil Measure Of Complex Cognitive-Perceptual Aptitude, Don Michael Mcanulty

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The primary purpose of the present research was a develop a complex aptitude test to assess individual differences in multiple cognitive and perceptual abilities that are required for helicopter pilot training. The paper-and-pencil test was designed to provide measures of both static and dynamic (i.e., learning) ability under different levels of complexity. The secondary research purpose was to develop a battery of eight psychometric tests to assess other abilities that are required for helicopter pilot training. Test prototypes were produced and administered to small samples of subjects. The tests were then revised into an experimental battery that required approximately 7 …

The Effects Of Presentation Method And Stimulus String Length In A Letter Matching Task, Sharolyn Ann Converse

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study investigates the effects of presentation method. stimulus string length, and pair type on matching task response time and accuracy. It was hypothesized that sequential presentation and small stimulus arrays evoke holistic processing while long simultaneous sets are matched according to serial self-terminating comparison strategies. The current results indicate that serial self-terminating comparison processes were employed across the experimental conditions. A fixed-order serial self-terminating scan was supported for two and four letter stimulus sets. For six letter strings, subjects appeared to adopt random order self-terminating searches if a divergent element was not located among the first few letter …

Construct Validation Of Role Playing Exercises In An Assessment Center Using Bars And Behavioral Checklist Formats, Wanda J. Campbell

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to establish the construct validity of five dimensions, assessed by two role simulations, using behavioral checklist and BARS formats. Participants were 12 graduate students in psychology, most of whom were enrolled in an industrial/ organizational program. They served as assessors and evaluated the videotaped performance of ten ratees who had previously participated in assessment centers conducted at the university.

Substantial evidence for convergent and an adequate level of discriminant validity were hypothesized. Although it was anticipated that method bias would be low, it was hypothesized that the behavioral checklist would exhibit a higher level …

A Multitrait-Multimethod Investigation Of Two Checklist Formats For Rating The In-Basket, Michael G. Fedorko

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The two most commonly identified methods of rating the In-Basket both involve the use of checklists. These checklists differ primarily in the way that the items on them are organized. In one (the Dimension Oriented Format), the items pertaining to the entire In-Basket are grouped under the dimension they represent (Frederiksen, Jensen, & Beaton, 1972). In the other (the Item Oriented Format), items representing all dimensions are grouped under the exercise in which they .might be expected to occur (Jaffee, 1971). This study investigated the construct validity of In-Basket ratings obtained using these two formats.

The results of an analysis …

The Effects Of Classification Systems On Management And Access In Selected Elementary School Libraries, Ellen L. Miller

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

Without an adequate access and delivery system for "easy" books, young children are locked out of the vast literary resources of elementary school libraries. The research described in this dissertation was conducted for the purpose of investigating the extent to which a variation in classification systems corresponded to variations in management and access. Elm's Classification System and H. W. Wilson's "E" classification for "easy" books were the two systems involved in the study.

In the spring of 1985, a questionnaire was mailed to 38 librarians in the public school systems in four cities in the Tidewater Area of Virginia--Chesapeake, Norfolk, …

The Status Of Co-Recreational Intramural Sports In 1984 At American Colleges And Universities, Thomas M. Roberts

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of intramural sports programs at four year American colleges and universities. Intramural Directors from 329 institutions were randomly selected from the 1984 National Intramural Recreational Sports Association Directory to complete and return a thirteen item questionnaire.

A computerized statistical procedure, SPSS, was used in the statistical analysis. The results were analyzed through the use of comparisons, and percentages. The data were acquired from questionnaires returned by 185 of the Intramural Directors selected.

The conclusions may be utilized by recreational sports administrators to evaluate the components of their existing co-recreational …

The Impact Of Public Investment On Urban Revitalization: A Case Study On The Redevelopment Of Downtown Norfolk, Virginia 1935-1985, Marvin W. Lee

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Studies

This study focuses on downtown revitalization. It examines the effect of public investment in Downtown Norfolk in relation to various theories that have been developed to explain the growth of the central cores of cities.

A chronology is presented of the events that marked the beginning and the first fifty years of redevelopment in Downtown Norfolk, Virginia. Through reliance on newspaper articles, interviews and other documented sources, a record is provided that attempts to give deeper insight into the struggle that transformed slums and blight in downtown to a revitalized center of social and economic activity. This historical review allows …

The Effects Of Environmental Stress On Financial Planning For Retirement, Gerald Lee Gamache

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

During the past several decades vast changes have occurred in the labor market. Unusually high unemployment rates, changes in labor force composition and the migration of workers to new industries, are typical topics of concern. This study deals with the development of a model to explain the consequences of environmental stress and psychological strain on retirement financial planning behaviors, an area of investigation which has received little or no attention in the literature, but in which as much importance portends as the traditional topics of concern. Several measures of environmental stress, psychological strain and measures of coping behaviors are developed …

Estimating The Utility Of Job Performance The Influence Of The Delphi Technique And Behavioral Examples On Supervisors' Estimates, Scott I. Tannenbaum

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Methods for estimating the standard deviation of performance in dollars (SDy) proposed by Schmidt, Hunter, McKenzie, and Muldrow (1979) (referred to as S & H) and by Burke and Frederick (1984) (referred to as B & F) were compared with a modified procedure which incorporated the Delphi and critical incident methodologies (referred to as Delphi). Sixty-four nursing managers were randomly assigned to one of the three methods. They provided estimates for the jobs of registered nurse and licensed practical nurse. The three methods yielded similar estimates, were equally sensitive to differences between the jobs, and conformed to the assumptions of …

Flotation Vs Chamber Rest A Comparison Of Techniques And Their Differential Effects On Relaxation And Self Disclosure, Francis Tony Hagan

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Developing more or less simultaneously over the last thirty years, water immersion/floatation restricted environmental stimulation techniques (REST) and chamber REST, came to be recognized as two of the most effective methods of minimizing external stimulation to the physical senses. These two environments were compared in a controlled study of 36 male undergraduates, for indications of reduced blood pressure and reductions in self-reported stress. In addition, the participants were assessed for post-treatment differences in self-disclosure, or willingness to share personal information about themselves. Results indicated that for a single one hour session, individuals in the floatation environment achieved significant reductions in …

Job Analysis And Job Evaluation Method Choice: User Qualifications And Implications For Applications And Research, James S. Herndon

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Research interest in the areas of job analysis and job evaluation has been increased recently as a result of attention being given to the comparable worth issue. The purpose of the present study was to assess the effects of job analysis and job evaluation method choice on the outcome of the salary determination process, and to investigate how user qualifications interact with methods.

Within the context of the JAMES Matrix, two job analysis methods (CIT and FJA) were systematically paired with two job evaluation methods (ranking and point). Three groups of participants, representing distinctly different levels of expertise (method experts, …

Portrait Of The Scientific Journals In Germany: 1930-1936, Paul Eugene Gesling Jr.

Institute for the Humanities Theses

The focus of this .study is to note and measure any discernible changes within the character of scientific publications in Germany after the elevation of the National Socialists to power. To detect any such changes, a classification scheme was established to categorize formal papers appearing in six journals between 1930-1936. The results are subject to variance as the journals examined did not fare identically. Certain journals declined in output while others prospered. Suggestion~ of ideological tampering remain largely absent. Indeed, the wide latitude of interests expressed by these papers suggest a preference on the part of German scientists and editors …

Attributions Of Martial Conflict Among College Students, Gary Franklin Sigler

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

A study of single college student attitudes toward conflict was conducted to determine the attributions (internal versus external) they make regarding marital conflict scenarios (of mild to moderate to extreme severity). Between group differences of persons from divorced versus non-divorced homes were predicted as I well as sex differences with men making more external and females making more internal attributions. As expected, female actors did score higher than male actors on internal attribution. And females from both groups did rate the scenarios as more serious than males from both groups, as indicated by their higher mean rating of seriousness. However, …

Social Support Networks: The Effects Of Sex And Personality Variables On Utilization Of Resources, S. Dee Treschuk

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of sex and various personality characteristics on the utilization of social support resources for four types of problems (day to day problems, "most serious" problem, emotional and material problems). An interview format was used in order to assess actual events in peoples' lives. Chi-square tests were performed to determine significant differences. Gender differences were found in the use of specific network members for day to day problems. As predicted, females utilized the family more than males; and males named "no one" more than females. For emotional problems, females utilized "love" …

The Effect Of Intuition On Creativity As Discussed By Several Individuals Of Creative Genius, Mary Jean Campbell

Institute for the Humanities Theses

When the term intuition came into psychological parlance less than a century ago, the argument began over whether intuition could affect creativity, and whether it, in fact, existed at all as part of cognitive process. This paper will begin with a discussion of the meaning of intuition and some of the implications of that term, address the difficulties inherent in relying on self-report for information, and then turn to the statements of several well-known creative individuals about the role of intuition or intuition-related phenomena in their work.

The selection of creative individuals will be limited to those who have attained …

The Relationship Between Response Variability And Interview Contrast Effects, Salvatore John Cesare

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The low reliability and validity of the interview has lead to research aimed at improving its effectiveness. One such strategy is the microanalytic approach developed by Mayfield (1964). This approach centers on the decision—making processes errors made by the interviewer. One type of error is the contrast effect. A contrast effect is that situation where the rating given to an applicant is contingent upon the quality of preceding applicants. This study used a 3 X 3 (Induced Set X Target Applicant) factorial design to assess how different amounts of response variability by an average applicant can influence contrast effects. Subjects …