Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Comparative Study Of The Goals Of Middle-Aged Student And Non-Student Homemakers, Ann Buttars

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study compared the goals of middle-aged student and non-student homemakers. Achieved, current and future goals were investigated.

The student sample was composed of twenty-five married, female, full-time students between the ages of thirty and fifty enrolled at Utah State University and was matched with a non-student sample as closely as possible. At least one full year of college had been attained by all subjects before marriage.

Data were collected through interviews conducted by the researcher during fall quarter, 1973. A non-directional t test was used to analyze the differences between the number of goals identified by both samples. Three …

Estimation Of Public Service Cost Functions For Nonmetropolitan Utah Counties, Lyle Glade Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this paper is to test the hypothesis that economies of scale exist in the provision of government services in nonmetropolitan Utah counties. Financial data from the counties was analyzed using statistical methods. Total expenditures, general government, public safety, public works, libraries, health and welfare, parks and recreation, and roads are examined.

Three Ordered Sets Of Factors And Their Relationship To Act Scores, Thomas J. Russo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There has been in recent years a marked decline in college entrance examination test scores. Declines have been documented both on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Testing Program (ACT). In turn there has been an increasing interest concerning the test score declines as well as possible sources of influence on test scores. These sources or factors seem to be functions of three main "contexts." These contexts are: (a) school-related factors, (b) student-related factors and (c) family-structure related factors. It was of interest to attempt to explain the relative association of each variable to composite ACT scores …

Transfer Of Stimulus Control By Temporal Fading, David Allan Steele

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study was designed to analyze the transfer of stimulus control in temporal fading procedures. Several aspects of temporal fading procedures were manipulated including sources of inhibitory stimulus control, delays of reinforcement, and rates of increase in the temporal parameter of a fading procedure. In Experiment I, previous research producing transfer of stimulus control in a temporal fading procedure was directly replicated and controls were implemented for the operation of inhibition. The results showed that inhibitory stimulus control is not necessary in order to produce a transfer as participants with neutral stimulus backgrounds also transferred from one dimension to …

The Development Of Inventory Items To Measure Response Differences Of Delinquent And Nondelinquent Youths, Lionn Dean Kirk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was designed to refine and validate a 160-item self-report instrument which drew its items from personality theories and from clinical practice related to delinquency. The aim was to estimate the usefulness of items descriptive of delinquent behavior by testing their reliability and discriminative power.

There were two objectives. First: to test a set of items for their power to discriminate delinquent from non-delinquent responses which referred to delinquent and nondelinquent behavior. Second, to validate the power of the selected set of items to discriminate delinquent from non-delinquent youths in a second mixed group. Both objectives were realized in …

Teacher Attention As A Controlling Influence Of Student Classroom Behavior, Lagrande E. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis was to assess the influence of the teachers' classroom behavior on students' classroom behavior. Three hypotheses were made as the teacher systematically increases positive responses and decreases negative responses in the classroom, 1) the total time spent with the misbehaving student will decrease, 2) student non-attentive behavior will decrease and student attentive behavior will increase, and 3) there will be an inverse relationship between teacher negative responses and student attentive behavior.

Student subjects were selected randomly from a previously selected group of misbehaving students; teacher subjects were 12 volunteers from a Junior High School who …

The Development, Durability, And Generalizability Of Sharing In Preschool Children, Edward James Barton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate three different programs designed to increase verbal and physical sharing and to determine the generalizability and durability of the behaviors that were trained. Eight groups of four preschool children, balanced for sex, were observed for 16 minutes daily during a free play period in their preschool classroom. After eight days of baseline, 24 children received one of three types of training for eight sessions. Eight children were taught to verbally share, eight to physically share, and eight to both verbally and physically share. All of these children received a treatment package composed …

The Effects Of Group Therapy On Values And Behavioral Adjustment Of Chronic Hospitalized Patients, Rahmatola Simnegar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study investigated (a) the effects of group therapy ix on values and behavioral adjustment of hospitalized psychiatric patients, and (b) differential effects of directive versus non-directive group therapy in effecting desired therapy outcomes. Thirty subjects selected from among patients at Wyoming State Hospital were matched on age and sex and then randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. Experimental group I received directive group therapy, experimental group II received non-directive group therapy and the control group participated in recreational activities. Both experimental groups and the control group participated in 12 weekly sessions, which were structured …

Shoshoni Conceptualizations Of Plant Relationships, Bryan Ray Spykerman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Interviews were conducted with 10 Shoshoni-speaking people to investigate conceptualizations of plant relationships. A card-sort technique and informal questioning were employed in an attempt to elicit plant classifications and taxonomic relationships. Results indicate classifications are based on multiple criteria including morphology, cultural utilization, geographic setting and growth habit. A paradigm which postulates conceptualizations based on prototypic images fits the data better than the supposition that memory is composed of extensive taxonomic structures.

Religious And Geographic Correlates Of Breast Feeding, Joan Boyington Sellers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study focused mainly upon regional and religious variables influencing a mother's decision for a particular infant feeding practice. The problem of this study was to investigate the breast feeding and maternal attitudes of Mormon and non-Mormon mothers who were raised within the Mountain States region and compare them to the attitudes of Mormon and non-Mormon women who are not residents of this region.

No significant differences were found between the resident and non- resident women in their practice of bottle or breast feeding, nor was any significant difference found between the number of Mormon and non-Mormon women who breast …

Maternal Reactions To Children With Visible And Non-Visible Handicaps, Doral R. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reactions of mothers to their handicapped child to determine if there is an association between visible and non-visible handicaps, and the mother's reaction to the handicapped child.

A null hypothesis was employed which asserted that the mother's reaction to the handicapped child would not be related to the visible nature of the handicap. It was further hypothesized that the variables of mother's age at the birth of the handicapped child, education, and rigidity, child's birth order and the husband's occupation would be unrelated to the mother's reaction to her child

The …

The Cache County Snowmobiler: An Empirical Study, Michael William Dierker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Snowmobiling is one of the major outdoor winter sports in Cache County, Utah. Despite its popularity, it has run into several problems, among which the most noticeable is its conflict with other winter recreationists, namely, cross-country skiers and snowshoers. In order to resolve this conflict, one must first understand more about each group involved. As such, the purpose of this research was to obtain information on the snowmobiler in Cache County, Utah. Specifically, the objectives of the study were: (1) to identify the attitudes of the snowmobiler toward leisure and the environment; (2) to identify and compare occupations, SES, and …

Children's Attitudes Toward The Dental Experience, Tom Leo Day

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of children toward the dental visit. A group of children who had undergone dental treatment with the use of nitrous oxide-oxygen served as the experimental group while children who had received dental treatment without the use of nitrous oxide-oxygen served as the control group. Attitudes toward the dental experience among these two groups were compared to determine any differences or similarities due to the type of treatment used. Data were also collected on the parents of the children to determine whether the child's attitude toward the dental visit tended to …

Factors Influencing The Use Of Small Electrical Kitchen Appliances, Kathi Marie Braegger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Comparisons were made to determine which appliances owned by homemakers were used often and which appliances were used seldom or never and to relate areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction to the amount of appliance use. The sample consisted of 123 homemakers from Cache and Weber counties in Utah.

Five hypotheses were tested. The amount of appliance use was significantly related to method of acquisition, performance, design and knowledge factors. The amount of appliance use was not significantly related to storage factors.

Household Projections For Utah: 1970-2000, Stephen Hauwah Kan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study deals with Utah household projections by age and sex for five-year intervals from 1970-2000. Projections are based on the method used by the bureau of the Census with certain modifications. Two sets of the population projects prepared by the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, high and low medium, are chosen as the population base. By assuming the household formation pattern in two alternate ways, constant rates and exponential growth rates, two sets of household projections are prepared for each of the two sets of population projections. This study also makes some examinations on the social and economic implications of …

Capitalization Effects Of Property Tax Differentials, Paul Johnston Mcnutt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The capitalization effect of property tax differentials for the four market quarters in 1976 was studied in the Logan, Utah market area. A secondary aspect of the study was to assess the variations in the assessed to market value ratio.

107 observed sales were used for the data set. Age of structure, square feet in structure, quality of neighborhood, and property tax were noted for each property sold.

From the regression analysis it was found that there was a significant capitalization of the tax differentials. The results indicate that a one-percent change in the property tax will result in a …

The Study Of Intended Distance Based On The Migration Intention Of Utah High School Senior Students, Pyoung Kim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examines the relationship between the distance 1975 high school seniors intended to move, referred to as intended distance, and socioeconomic and psychological factors. The research is based on information collected from separate samples of about 900 graduating seniors from the rural, urban and metropolitan areas of Utah. Utilizing the type of boundary that would be crossed in carrying out an intended move as the proxy for distance, it was found that 14 percent of the youth intended to live most of the rest of their lives out of Utah. While rural youth were more likely to intend to …

A Case Study Of Displaced Workers: The Hesston Experience, Thomas G. Fritts

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In August of 1976, a factory employing 210 workers began a phased layoff of all employees. This study focused on the subsequent reemployment problems of the workers. Specifically, methods of job search were analyzed to determine if they had an influence upon placement and quality of employment.

Two means of data collection were used in this study. Questionnaires were mailed to all former employees of Hesston Farm Machinery Company and oral interviews were conducted with public and private individuals involved with placement assistance to displaced workers.

Results of the study indicated that public employment offices, private employment agencies, and Hesston's …

An Evaluation Of Using In-Field Evaporation Pans To Schedule Irrigation On Potatoes, Michael J. Tremblay

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research project was undertaken to determine if an evaporation pan would accurately predict evapotranspiration when placed in an actual irrigated field situation. Two potato fields in Southern Idaho with different micro-climates and soil types were used in this study. The in-field evaporation pan method was compared with the gravimetric method and the Jensen-Haise and modified-Penman climatic methods. Yield and quality responses were evaluated by varying the amount of sprinkler-applied water so that three distinct moisture regimes were evaluated. It was also necessary to evaluate recent crop coefficient (K_c) curves on potatoes to see if the K_{c …}

Social, Psychological, Economic Factors, And The Migration Intentions Of Senior High School Students In Utah, Elias Toumeh Nijim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study deals with a comparison between rural, urban, and metropolitan students as to their migration intentions and factors associated with their migration intentions. The study is based on the initial stage of a larger longitudinal panel study of 2,500 high school seniors in public high schools in the state of Utah in 1975. Survey research was the principal method of investigation. Stratified random sample was used for choosing the students and administered questionnaire was used to collect the information. Proportions and crosstabulations were the statistical techniques used in the analysis with chi square and gamma as the statistics for …

Income Distribution Effects Of Water Quality Controls: An Econometric Approach, Ming Chien Chen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The imposition of water quality controls may affect the economy chiefly by altering aggregate production and changing the factor payments, These two effects could not only reallocate resources among production possibilities, but also could change the distribution of benefits of production among members of the society.

This study attempted to provide a workable theory to establish an empirical test of the impacts of water quality controls on family income distribution. It consists of two separate areas: first, to analyze methodologies of measuring income distribution changes, and, second, to develop a theoretical model that is useful for empirical tests of the …

The Consequences Of Rapid Population Growth On Nigeria's Economic Development: A Simple Econometric Analysis, Richard A. Eniang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the economic implications of a rapid population growth on Nigeria's economic development. It was particularly interesting to study the relationship, because at the present Nigeria is making some economic progress while undergoing a demographic transition. Apparently, despite the acceptable growth of the national income, the growth of the per capita output has not been encouraging. This output growth must have been hampered by the rather rapid population growth in Nigeria.

The neoclassical growth theory was basically employed to explain the growth of output in the economy in terms of both capital and …

The Effects Of Age And Socio-Economic Status On The Diagnosis And Educational Treatment Of Mildly Handicapping Conditions Of School Children, John W. Kelsey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Biasing effects in labeling and recommendations for educational services when factors of socio-economic status and age are manipulated were studied using 50 certified school psychologists in Utah. Subjects received case report information about IQ, behavior and achievement which described a school child in need of services within one of four conditions, Age 7 Socioeconomic status (SES) High, Age 7 SES Low, Age 13 SES High, and Age 13 SES Low. Other potentially biasing variables such as ethnic background, and sex were held constant. No evidence of bias could be found when dependent measures of labeling, recommendations for educational services, and …

Does The "Draw-A-Male-And-A-Female" Test Show Male-Female Relationship?, Paul Charles Hatch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study investigated the "Draw-A-Male-And-A-Female" test to find if this variation of the "Draw-A-Person" test was a valid measure of male-female relationship variables, i.e., compatibility, happiness, warmth, and interpersonal anxiety and conflict. Two groups varying with respect to relationship (married group vs divorced group) were tested. A high school group was also tested. Three psychologists rated the drawings into a positive or a negative relationship group. If the male and female figures in the drawing had the appearance of warmth or pleasantness between each other, seemed compatible, and looked free from interpersonal anxiety or conflict, the picture was placed …

The Effectiveness Of Training For Empathy In Pre-Service Teacher Education, John Bruce Jessen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The specific objective of this research was to determine the effectiveness of training on understanding empathy in the teacher training process.

Subjects were Utah State University students enrolled in Elementary Education during winter quarter 1976. The experimental group was composed of 34 subjects and the control group of 27 subjects.

Both groups were administered a pretest. The experimental group then received the treatment which consisted of a training program designed to help them to be able to (1) define, (2) recognize instances of, and (3) to emit empathic behavior. At the conclusion of the training program both the experimental and …

The Identification Of Characteristics Of The Hyperactive Child Through Objective Evaluation, Joan Elaine Owen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For many years adults have been concerned about the hyperactive child, who acts out in a boisterous manner, who is perhaps too physically stimulated and who is often perceived as not meeting adult expectations. It seems important to identify the characteristics of the hyperactive child in an objective and understandable manner so that parents, teachers, medical doctors, and mental health practitioners can determine more adequate prescriptive treatment programs.

The purpose of this study was to adjudge whether children referred for psychoeducational evaluation by pediatricians as hyperactive exhibit behavioral characteristics which, when evaluated by standardized tests, are significantly different from those …

The Use Of The Delphi Technique To Effect Decisions Concerning The College Level Examination Program By Higher Education Representatives, Terry Joseph Orme

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated the use of the Delphi technique in educational decision making.

Utah State institutions of higher education employ the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) to award credit in lieu of course work. However, since no uniform policies existed among them, 145 persons were selected on a representative basis to recommend a norming group to use for performance comparisons, the standard by which to judge CLEP performance, and the levels for maximum and minimum credit.

The Delphi technique, which employs a round-by-round questionnaire with feedback procedure, was used for six rounds to obtain sufficient consensus on the three aforementioned …

Probability Learning In Prey Selection With A Great Horned Owl And A Red-Tailed Hawk, Deborah L. Mueller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the hunting strategies of birds of prey in a probability learning situation. One great horned owl and one red-tailed hawk served as subjects. Three boxes and associated perches, each representing different potential prey areas, were placed in a room adjacent to the birds' regular housing and served as test apparatus. One box were required to land on a perch in order to gain access to the associated box and to the potential prey. A discrete-trial, self-correction procedure was used. In Experiment I, Box 1 was loaded with a live laboratory mouse on …

Correlates Of Course Ratings, Jan Krambule

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which selected variables are related to scores on the Utah State University Faculty Evaluation Questionnaire (USU FEQ). The variables examined were size of class, level of class, college under whose auspices a class is offered and whether the class is required or elective. In addition, the relationship between total mean score and responses to question 23, a percentage ranking of instructors, was assessed.

The fall quarter, 1975, FEQ results were used in this assessment. Employing the same procedures as had been followed in previous quarters, 315 courses were evaluated. …

Development Of Cooperation Between Children In The Minimal Social Situation, Janice V. Siegel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine whether children can learn to cooperate in what has been described as the "minimal social situation." The research also compared the effectiveness of verbal instructions and a training task for teaching subjects the "win-stay, lose-change" rule. This rule has been used to explain the development of cooperation in the minimal social situation.

Subjects were 19 teams of first-, second-, and third-graders. Five teams were composed of two girls; six were girl-boy teams; and eight were boy-boy teams. Ten of the 19 teams learned to cooperate in the minimal social situation without treatment. …