Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Development Of A Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale & Assessment Of Its Psychometric Parameters, Sharon Lachow

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In keeping with increasing national demands on organizations to demonstrate effectiveness of mental health services for the chronically mentally ill (CMI) across the nation, Barren River Mental Health/Mental Retardation (BR MH/MR) undertook an assessment of programs which provide services to this population. This necessitated the employment of a client outcome measure to determine the effectiveness of these programs and services to the CMI's. After an extensive perusal of the instruments currently available, a decision was made to construct a new assessment instrument in a behaviorally anchored rating scale format to meet the unique needs of BR MH/MR. Prior to the …

Exploring Adaptive Behavior In Preschool Children, Elaine Michewicz

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Thr. purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate factors related to adaptive behavior or nonacademic behavior and the ability to function in everyday life situations. Preschool children and their mothers served as subjects for the investigation. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (Wechsler, 1967), the Nowicki Strickland Internal-External Locus of Control Scale for Children (Nowicki and Strickland, 1973), and the Circles and Unusual Uses Tests (Torrance, 1966a) were administered to twenty-five kindergarten children. In conjunction, the Adaptive Behavior Inventory for Children from The System of Multicultural Pluralistic Assessment by Mercer and Lewis (1977), which is a structured …

Work Decrement And Facilitation Of Performance As A Function Of The Accuracy Of Mental Imagery, Maxwell Turner

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study is twofold: to determine the relationship between accuracy of the image and work decrement and to investigate the relationship between accuracy of the image and facilitation of performance. A total of 36 right-handed undergraduates were tested on the rotor pursuit operating at 45 rpm and asked to imagine themselves actually tracking the target with the stylus. During the imagery trials the subjects verbalized the word “top” each time their image made one complete revolution. Each subject engaged in a 9 30-sec imagery trials which were followed by either an 8-sec rest and then 9 30-sec …

The Development Of An Expressive Language Scoring System, Pamela Tamme

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study was designed to develop an expressive language scoring system so that the creative quality of a person's written language could be quantified and measured. Sixty fifth -grade students, 31 males and 29 females, were given the opening line, i.e., story-starter, to a story and were asked to finish the stories. Each student received two story-starters concerning the same object ("content")-- either box, string or money--but were different in "context" (usual or unusual setting). Thus, a total of 120 stories were written, with 40 stories being from each content group. These stories were then rated according to their level …

The Brigance K&1 Screen And Corresponding Teacher Ratings Of Students, Shanna Waddington

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The relationship between teacher ratings of kindergarten students and scores on the Brigance K&1 Screen was examined in order to obtain a measure of construct validity for the Brigance. A Kentucky sample and California sample were included in the study. Data was analyzed separately for each sample for purposes of regional comparison. Teacher’s ratings of students’ overall ability and ability across five skill dimensions (expressive language, receptive language, personal information, fine motor skills, and gross motor skills) were compared via a linear regression analysis. The results indicated that overall ratings of students by teachers are significant and reliable combinations of …

The Effects Of Extraversion On Performance On The Wechsler Intelligence Scale For Children-Revised, Charles V. Kerekes

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A sample population of 139 fifth grade students, ranging in age from nine years to twelve years eleven months, was drawn from a data pool created from test results collected from four elementary schools in a south central Kentucky municipality. Tests used in the study were the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Revised (WISC-R) and Cattell’s Children’s Personality Questionnaire (CPQ).

These data were examined to determine the relationship of extraversion to performance on a standardized intelligence test.

Correlations for the experimental variables and extraversion ranged from .12 to .51.

The results indicated that extraverts had higher Performance, Verbal and …

Effect Of Educational Budget Cuts On Student Programming In Universities/Colleges Located In The Great Lakes Region Of The National Entertainment & Campus Activities Association, Leslie Freels

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study was conducted in order to determine the effects of educational budget cuts on student programming in universities and colleges. It was stated that the universities monies allocated specifically for student programming had decreased, the number of full-time university employees had decreased, the number of national performers brought to campus had decreased, and student participation had decreased A questionnaire was designed to send to those institutions that were NECAA, Great Lakes Region, members. A 62 percent return was received, the questionnaires were tabulated and data accumulated. The data indicated that most universities had received sufficient funds for student programming …

Construct Validity Of The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, Brian W. Johnson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to add supportive evidence to the construct validity of the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (SEI). The study was conducted using the Sabers-Whitney (1976) model which investigated (a) convergent validity, (b) discriminant validity, (c) sensitivity to change, (b) internal consistency, and (e) any other factors which may contribute evidence to be a measure’s construct validity.

The SEI Children’s Self Concept Scale (CSCS), and Children’s Social Desirability Scale (CSDS) were administered to all fifth grade students enrolled in an elementary school within a public school district in the northeastern United States. The self-concept assessments were conducted within …

O. Henry’S Use Of Stereotypes In His New York City Stories: An Example Of The Utilization Of Folklore In Literature, Martin Ostrofsky

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Stereotyping is a folkloristic process which permits people to reduce the complexities of the real world into simplified, abstract terms. O. Henry one of America’s most popular short story writers, made generous use of stereotypes in his stories. By examining O. Henry’s use of stereotypes, insight may be gained into the essential role which folklore often plays in creative literature. Stereotypes greatly influence the composition, function and reception of O. Henry’s work. O. Henry’s personal habits and circumstances demanded that he produce a prolific stream of short stories which would have the greatest popular appeal. Clever manipulation of stereotypes permitted …

Effects Of Task Complexity On Mental Imagery & Work Decrement, Mary George

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study was conducted to determine the effects of task complexity on mental imagery and work decrement. A total of 180 right-handed undergraduates from Western Kentucky University were tested on the rotor pursuit apparatus. Task complexity was manipulated by eccentricity on the tracking target of the rotor pursuit (i.e., the more eccentric, the more complex). Three shapes of increasing eccentricity were used, and there were three practice conditions: rest, no-rest and control. Thus, nine treatment conditions existed. The rest group had a 5-min rest between practice and performance, the no-rest group went right from practice to performance without rest, and …

A History Of The Bowling Green Fire Department: A Look At Two Traditional Methodologies, Edward Mccurley

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The history of the Bowling Green, Kentucky, Fire Department is presented through the use of two methodologies. Traditional historical methodology has been applied to compile the first ninety years of history while traditional folklore fieldwork--the collection of personal narratives through interviews--has been applied to compile the last fifty-six years, concluding with 1970. Six years, from 1914 to 1920, reflect the blending of the two methodologies.

The personal narratives used in this study are those of Assistant Chief Harold Hazelip, who joined the fire department in 1952. Recognized informally as the department's historian, Hazelip's recollections include his own personal experiences as …

A Study Of Retention Between The Cadette And Senior Level Of Girl Scouting In The Kentuckiana Girl Scout Council, Diane M. Weigel

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study was made in attempt to identify the characteristics of a troop program in which tenth grade girls had been involved and to determine why they did or did not continue in Scouting. A survey instrument was devised and pretested to validate and improve upon the questionnaire. The questionnaires were distributed through the mail to 190 girls who had been registered in the Kentuckiana Council Scouting program in 1981. All girls, despite their present status in Scouting were asked to complete and return the survey. The questions pertained to such areas as years involved in Scouting, frequency of meetings, …

The Folklife Expressions Of Three Isle Royale Fishermen: A Sense Of Place Examination, Timothy Cochrane

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Selected forms of three Isle Royale fishermen’s folklife expressions – material folk culture, social folk custom and narrative folklore – were documented and analyzed. The informants are representative of the group of Scandinavian fishermen who operated commercial fisheries on Isle Royale from the 1880s to date. Documentary and analytical emphasis centered on occupational aspects of their folklife expressions and the fishermen’s perception of the island archipelago. Accordingly, special interest was focused on the fishermen’s interplay with the Lake Superior and Isle Royale environs. Selected folklife expressions were analyzed to uncover fishermen’s cognitive and affective responses to their insular environment. Analysis …

A Study Of The Biblical Narrative Of Saul, Including Investigation Of The Folktale & Proverb As Genres Of Folk Narrative, Ervin Mason Jr.

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A biblical passage from the Old Testament book of I Samuel is studied from the perspective of narrative, folktale, and proverb. The narrative account of Saul's becoming the first king of Israel, as depicted in I Sam. 9:1-10:16, is examined and found to be an example of traditional folk narrative. Using the work of Stith Thompson and Axel Olrik, the Saul narrative yields evidence indicating it is composed of traditional motifs and arranged in a manner reflecting traditional interpretation. Within the larger Hebrew narrative of the I Sam. 9:1-10:16 passage there is lodged a folktale. The folktale is found interspersed …

A Contemporary Female Psychic: A Folkloristic Study Of A Traditional Occupation, Jan Laude

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis is a case study of a contemporary woman psychic, Peggy Sue Turner, who resides in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The traditional aspects of her occupation are balanced with adaptative mechanisms in order to meet current cultural and social needs resulting in a satisfying job for both Turner and her clients. Chapter One provides a review of pertinent literature. Chapter Two details fieldwork methodology. Chapter Three gives the life history of Turner as it relates to the joint development of her femininity and her occupation. Chapter Four describes the overall generalities which Turner applies to all of her work and …

The Ability Of Selected Personality Variables To Distinguish Between Three Levels Of Principled Reasoning Scores On The Defining Issues Test, Gary Romich

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A population sample consisting of 110 college students was placed into one of three principled reasoninig groups (low, medium, and high) based on individual P scores on the Defining Issues Test. Based on previous research, it was predicted that individuals low in principled reasoning would score high on measures of deference (conformity) and affiliation (social approval) and low on measures of autonomy, intraception (analytical ability), and abstractness. Those individuals in the high principled reasoning group would have opposite need structures. They should be low on measures of deference and affiliation and high on autonomy, intraception and abstractness in comparison to …

Degrees Of Self-Actualizing And Corresponding Levels Of Jealousy In College Students, Robert Paul

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In order to examine the relationship between jealousy and overall level of self-actualizing, measures of these constructs obtained from four groups of college students, males presently in romantic relationships, males presently not in romantic relationships, females presently in romantic relationships and females not presently in romantic relationships, were compared. Scores obtained from the Inner-directed scale of the Personal Orientation Inventory, a measure of overall level of self-actualizing, and a seven-item jealousy scale were examined separately for each group via 2 by 2 analyses of variance (sex by romantic status) and linear regression analysis. Results of the 2 by 2 analyses …