Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Training Mildly Retarded Adults To Generate Effective Solutions To Daily Living Problems, Dennis Munk

Masters Theses

Two mildly mentally retarded adults, living in a semi-independent residential program received training in solving common social problems. The subjects were trained to perform five problem-solving component skills: (1) identifying the problem, (2) defining a goal, (3) evaluating a solution, (4) evaluating alternative solutions, and (5) selecting a best solution. The five component skills were trained in sequence, as a multiple-baseline across skill behaviors design. It was hypothesized that the training program would successfully improve the subjects' ability to perform the component skills when solving trained and unfamiliar problems. The unfamiliar problems were included to test generalization of skill. The …

The Effects Of A Wilderness/Adventure Program On The Self-Concept, Locus Of Control Orientation, And Interpersonal Behavior Of Delinquent Adolescents, Timothy J. Zwart

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 26-day therapeutic wilderness program for delinquent adolescent males on three conceptually distinct but closely related constructs: self-concept, locus of control orientation, and interpersonal behavior. Justification for the study was derived from the limitations of past wilderness/adventure research which suggested that there was a need for additional research on the effects of this type of alternative program for delinquent adolescents.

It was hypothesized that following participation in this program the youths would exhibit increased self-concept, more internal locus of control orientation, would express higher needs for inclusion and affection …

Determination Of A "Benchmark" Rate Of Return For Regulated Small Telephone Utilities In The State Of Michigan, Gondy Bhaskara Rao

Dissertations

This study presents an approach that is consistent with regulatory standards of fairness, and enables the Public Service Commission staff to determining "benchmark" rates of return for Michigan's small telephone utilities. It applies only where they are either subsidiaries of holding companies or independently operating but whose securities are not publicly traded.

The methodology developed in this research is couched in the capital asset pricing framework and is powerful enough to capture the parent-subsidiary relationship to the ultimate determination of benchmark rates of return for utilities that have similar risks.

To evaluate the methodology for consistency with the regulatory standards, …

Defining A Social Problem: A Sociohistorical Analysis Of The Antinuclear Weapons Movement, Frances B. Mccrea

Dissertations

This dissertation is a sociohistorical analysis of the anti-nuclear weapons movement in the United States. This work conceptualizes social movements in advanced industrial societies by synthesizing certain aspects of social constructionism, resource mobilization and new class theory. The synthesis argues that progressive social movements are a form of class conflict in which members of the new class challenge the old elite for the control of cultural capital. Such movements are created, in part, by issue entrepreneurs, many of whom are intellectuals. The success or failure of any social movement organization is dependent on its own tactics and strategies, as well …

A Study Of Licensed Psychologists And The Problem Of Addressing Spiritual/Religious Issues In Therapy, Suzanne Lorenz Brennan

Dissertations

The study was done in response to a documented concern in the literature that therapists are unprepared to treat the spiritual concerns of their clients who come from a population in which 95% profess a belief in God.

One objective of the study was to determine the spiritual orientation of licensed psychologists and their attitudes toward religious belief and addressing religious issues in psychotherapy. Other objectives were to determine the amount of help received in addressing these issues during training and supervision and how competent they perceived themselves to be in this regard. Responses of the two license levels, full …

Self-Control: Effects Of Ratio Size, Intra-Delay Reinforcers, And Response Requirement, Elbert Q. Blakely Jr.

Dissertations

This study tested the following hypotheses: (a) The preference reversal phenomenon will be found when the delays to reinforcement are defined by fixed-ratio schedules, (b) The preference reversal phenomenon will be observed when intra-delay reinforcers are programmed, and (c) Imposing response requirements during the delay to reinforcement will affect preference for a larger delayed reinforcer over a smaller more immediate reinforcer. In Experiment 1, pigeons chose between two schedules, each a sequence of two fixed-ratio schedules. The second schedule of one sequence offered a small reinforcer and the second schedule of the alternative offered a larger reinforcer. The latter sequence …

The Effect Of Attending A Bereavement Support Seminar On The Level Of Depression Of Bereaved Spouses Within The First Year After The Spouses' Deaths; An Experimental Study, Carole Jeanne Weidaw

Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effect of providing information about the grief process and a supportive environment of peers on depression in recently bereaved spouses.

The treatment intervention consisted of the Bereavement Support Seminar, which provided didactic material relating to the normal aspects of the grief process with emphasis on dealing with anger, guilt and progressive growth while allowing for feelings and memories to be vented and supported.

The subjects were divided into two groups: experimental (those who were involved in the 4-week Bereavement Support Seminar) and control (those who received no intervention). The experimental …

The Effect Of Attending A Bereavement Support Seminar On The Level Of Expressed Physical Symptoms Of Bereaved Spouses Within The First Year After The Spouses' Deaths: An Experimental Study, Susan Jean Zonnebelt-Smeenge

Dissertations

Morbidity and mortality have been identified as potentially negative outcomes for bereaved spouses. Intervention is theorized to be an important factor in bereavement outcome, but few investigators have reported relevant studies depicting a decrease in somatic symptoms relative to planned treatment. The present research was conducted to explore the effect of attendance at a 4-session bereavement support seminar on the expressed physical symptoms of the widowed, within the first year subsequent to spousal death.

Subjects were obtained for this experimental study by the random sampling without replacement method, utilizing the obituary notices appearing in local newspapers. To facilitate generalization of …

The Social Class And Mental Illness Correlation: Implications Of The Research For Policy And Practice, Christopher G. Hudson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Ongoing efforts to unravel the causal issues involved in the correlation between socioeconomic status and mental illness suggest that the hypothesis of a recursive or interactive relationship may be the most tenable, at least with the psychoses. Implications of this research are explored, with particular attention paid to the mental health costs of economic policies, the principles with which states allocate mental health resources, and the use of this knowledge-base in service planning.

Exposure Of Young Welfare Recipients To Family And Peer Receipt Of Welfare And Unemployment Benefits, Viola E. Shuart, John H. Lewko

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The current study examined exposure to family and peer receipt of unemployment and general welfare benefits for a sample of 262 unemployed youth between 16 and 24 years of age who were in receipt of social assistance. The findings reveal that exposure to receipt of benefits was most pervasive through peers, with moderate exposure via siblings and minimal exposure via parents. The findings are discussed in relation to existing explanations which suggested that the receipt of benefits is intergenerationally transmitted. It is recommended that future investigations of the cultural transmission of poverty and receipt of benefits include the influence of …

Welfare Workers As Surplus Population: A Useful Model?, Paula Dressel, Mike Sweat, Michelle Waters

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Analysts of organizational and employment issues in social welfare are in need of a more critical orientation for framing debate. We propose that an understanding of welfare workers as surplus population offers critical insights into a number of longstanding welfare concerns, including political coalitions, professional standards, and worker burnout. Empirical evidence is presented to undergird the credibility of the surplus population argument.

A Commentary On The Social Class And Mental Illness Correlation: Implications Of The Research For Policy And Practice, Julius A. Roth

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper represents an extraordinary review of literature on the association between SES and mental illness. I think most social scientists would find it impressive. It also conveys some cogent reasoning about the relevance of these findings for social policy. I think most social workers would find it impressive.

An Analysis Of The General Well-Being Of Blacks And Whites: Results Of A National Study, Sonjia Parker Redmond

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The importance of race as a factor in mental health status has been a topic of controversy. This study examines racial variances in the relationship between selected socio-demographic variables and general well-being. The study also examines the appropriateness of an additive versus an interactive statistical model for this investigation.

Unlike other recent community based mental health studies, this study revealed significant differences between the general well-being of Blacks and Whites. Blacks continued to exhibit significantly lower levels of well-being even after adjustments were made for income, education, marital status, sex, age and place of residence. Statistical interaction was found between …

The Relationship Between Social Work And Labor Unions: A History Of Strife And Cooperation, Shulamith Lala Ashenberg Straussner, Norma Kolko Phillips

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The historical relationship between social work and organized labor has been an ambivalent one, with fluctuations paralleling historical changes in social and political values. This paper examines the changing nature of the relationship, with emphasis on the period from the 1870s to the 1940s. While today's relationship is a mutually beneficial one, the fragile nature of the link between organized labor and the social work community cannot be ignored, particularly in light of the increasing involvement between social work and private industry

Implications Of The One-Child Family Policy On The Development Of The Welfare State In The People's Republic Of China, Fernando Chiu-Hung Cheung

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The one-child family policy in China, if successfully implemented, will drastically alter the population age structure in the coming years which will in turn affect the demand and supply of the welfare state. Using several population indices projected on the basis of different total fertility rates, it is found that the aged population will increase significantly and hence their needs for social services including social security and health care will increase accordingly. Because the responsibility for caring for the old in China still largely falls on the family, it is important to establish an universal social security system supported by …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 15, No. 1 (March 1988)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Table of Contents

• Editorial - ROBERT D. LEIGHNINGER, JR., EDWARD J. PAWLAK, DANNY H. THOMPSON
• Implications of the One-Child Family Policy on the Development of the Welfare State in the People's Republic of China - FERNANDO CHIU-HUNG CHEUNG
• The Social Class and Mental Illness Correlation: Implications of the Research for Policy and Practice - CHRISTOPHER G. HUDSON
• A Commentary on The Social Class and Mental Illness Correlation - JULIUS ROTH
• An Analysis of the General Well-Being of Blacks and Whites: Results of a National Study - SONJIA PARKER REDMOND
• Exposure of Young Welfare Recipients to Family and Peer Receipt of …

Technology In Clinical Practice And The "Technological Ethic", John W. Murphy, John T. Pardeck

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Computers are being introduced into practically every area of clinical practice. The use of this technology by practitioners has not gone unchallenged. Specifically, new ethical problems are thought to be associated with using computers to make clinical assessments. Logistical and procedural difficulties, however, have been the primary focus of concern. In this paper the critique of computerized evaluation is expanded, with attention directed to the computer "micro-world." Because the computer micro-world consists of several unwarranted assumptions about the nature of social reality, clinical practice may be affected in many undesireable ways. The theoretical underside of computer use is illustrated to …

80-Archaeobotany Of Sites 11-J-812 (24b2-185) And 11-J-818 (24b2-185e), Burning Star Mine #5, Jackson County, Illinois, William M. Cremin

Reports of Investigations

The Schwartz (11-J-812; 2482-185) and Copeland (11-~-818; 2482-185E) sites are single component early Late Woodland encampments located in the Westfield Extension of Consolidation Coel Company's Burning Star Mine #5 in northeastern Jackson County, Illinois. The Westfield lies within but near the southern terminus of the Mt. Vernon Hill Country of the Southern Till Plains Division and is characterized by mature topography and low relief (Schwegman 1975). Elevation in the study area ranges from approximately 108 m ASL along the Little Muddy River, the principal stream passing through the Westfield, to 120 m ASL on adjacent uplands. The Little Muddy is …

18-Archaeological Investigations At The Walters 1 (20sj144) And Cupp 5 (20sj104) Sites, St. Joseph County, Michigan, William M. Cremin, Dale W. Quattrin

Archaeological Reports

During the 1987 field season, a research team from Western Michigan University conducted Phase II investigations at the Walters 1 and Cupp 5 sites in the Middle St. Joseph River Valley to determine the eligibility of these sites far listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Discovered during a Phase I survey of this area in 1986, these two sites were among 10 of 87 previously unrecorded sites to which ''high priority'' assignments were given (Cremin and Quattrin 1987).

Following intensive walk-over survey of the ''well fitted'' fields in May by an all volunteer group for purposes of precisely …

19-Archaeological Survey Of The Environs Of 20cx65, The Beaver Lsland Sun Circle, Charlevoix County, Michigan, Elizabeth B. Garland

Archaeological Reports

In October of 1988 I was contacted by Terri Bussey of the Grand Rapids Inter-Tribal Council concerning the putative Sun Circle at Beaver Island. She came to my office at the University a few days later, bringing maps and photographs, and we discussed the site at some length. This comprised my first direct information about the site, my prior knowledge being confined to remarks by students who had seen stories In the Detroit press, and some conversation with professional colleagues at the Midwest Archaeological Conference at Urbana-Champaign a week or two earlier.

At Ms. Bussey's. request I tentatively agreed to …

The State Of Economic Science: The Views Of Six Nobel Laureates 1988-89, Department Of Economics

Werner Sichel Lecture Series

"The State of Economic Science: The Views of Six Nobel Laureates" is the twenty-fifth Annual Public Lecture Series organized by the Department of Economics at Western Michigan University. This year's series is directed by Dr. Werner Sichel of the WMU Economics Department, and is cosponsored by the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. All lectures are open to the public and no admission is charged. A question and answer session will follow each lecture.

82-Phase I Archaeological Survey Of The Tanners Ridge Resort Area, Sodus Township, Michigan, Elizabeth B. Garland

Reports of Investigations

The Tanner's Ridge archaeological survey was carried out at the request of Mr. Warren Burke, following a series of telephone conversations and correspondence with the Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State, during the summer and fall of 1987. The author's prior archaeological work (Garland 1984) In the immediate vicinity of the planned resort area suggested the high probability of prehistoric sites at this locale, particularly at elevations above the 100 year flood line.

Following a reconnaissance on December 4 to ascertain visibility and plan the survey, the field work was carried out on December 13 and 14, 1987 by …

79-Archaeobotanical Analysis Of Carbonized Residues From Site 13ma387, Lake Red Rock, Iowa, William M. Cremin

Reports of Investigations

No abstract provided.

81-Archaeobotany Of Site 11-J-814 (24b2-227), A Deeply Stratified Rock Shelter On The Little Muddy River In Burning Star Mine #5, Jackson County, Illinois, William M. Cremin

Reports of Investigations

The WestField Extension oF Consolidation Coal Company's Burning Star Mine #5 is situated in the Little Muddy River drainage oF northeastern Jackson County, Illinois. It is located within but very near the southern terminus oF the Mt. Vernon Hill Country of the Southern Till Plains Division, with its characteristic mature topography and low relieF, and includes a 4.5 km long segment oF the lower river valley and an area oF uplands lying to the west of the river. Elevation across the study area ranges from about 108 m ASL along the Little Muddy to more than 120 m ASL on …

83-An Archaeological Survey Of The Covert Township Wastewater Treatment Facility, Van Buren County, Michigan, William M. Cremin

Reports of Investigations

Pursuant to receipt or authorization From Mr. Carl Malsom, Project Administration, WW Operation Services (dated 21 Dec 87), For a Phase I archaeological study or a 5.5 ha parcel in the NE 1/4 or Section 17, Covert Township, Van Buren Count~, Michigan, archaeologists in the Department or Anthropology, Western Michigan University undertook a literature and site File search and, with the arrival or appropriate weather and soil conditions, on 8 Mar 88 conducted onsite evaluation or the project area in order to determine whether construction of wastewater treatment facilities would adversely impact potentially significant archaeological resources. There Follows a report …

84-An Archaeological Survey Of The Relocated Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant Outfall In Section 3, T10n R1sw, Muskegon County, Michigan, William M. Cremin

Reports of Investigations

Pursuant to receipt of authorization from Dr. Y.A. Demirjian, Director, Muskegon County Wastewater Management System (contract dated 18 Apr 88; Purchase Order 88-04D33D), for a Phase I archaeological study of the proposed corridor for the relocated metro wastewater treatment plant outfall in the S 1/2 of Section 3, T10N R15W, Muskegon County, Michigan, archaeologists in the Department of Anthropology, Western Michigan University initiated a site file search and on 25 Apr £8 conducted on-site evaluation of the project area in order to determine whether construction of the outfall would adversely impact potentially significant archaeological resources. There follows a report of …

86-Phase I Archaeological Assessment Of The Mosel Avenue Bridge Replacement And Riverview Drive Modification Project In Kalamazoo County, Michigan, William M. Cremin

Reports of Investigations

Upon receipt of authorization from Mra Herbert 0. Larkin, Engineer-Manager, Kalamazoo County Road Commission (contract dated 25 Jul 88)), far a Phase I archaeological study of the proposed improvements to the Mosel Avenue crossing of the Kalamazoo River and the adjacent road network in Kalamazoo Township, archaeologists in the Department of Anthropology at Western Michigan University initiated a site file search and literature review and an 24-25 Aug 88 conducted on-site evaluation of the project area in order to ascertain whether proposed construction activities would adversely impact potentially significant archaeological resources. There follows a report of our program of research, …

85-An Archaeological Survey Of The Ayers Road Extension In Sections 35-36, Summit Township (T3s R1w), Jackson County, Michigan, William M. Cremin

Reports of Investigations

Pursuant to receipt of authorization from Mr. Robert M. Zenz, Chairman, Board of County Road Commissioners (contract dated 27 Jul 88), for a Phase I archaeological site location survey of the Ayers Road Extension project in Sections 35-36 of Summit Township, Jackson County, Michigan, archaeologists in the Department of Anthropology, Western Michigan University initiated a site file search and on 4 Aug 88 conducted on-site evaluation of the project area in order to determine whether proposed construction activities would adversely impact potentially significant archaeological resources. There follows a report of our research program, together with the recommendations derived from examination …

Controlling Corporate Crime Through Reform Of The Criminal Justice System, Mary A. Vogt

Honors Theses

Corporate crime, according to Clinard and Yeager (1980: 16), "is any act that is committed by corporations which is punishable by the state, regardless of whether it is punished under administrative, civil, or criminal law". This form of crime is a major social problem within our society (Kramer, 1982). The purpose of this project is to examine a variety of proposals to improve the capability of the criminal justice system to control the problem of corporate crime, and to make specific recommendations for reform.

Congruence Between Type Of Activity And Volition And Its Relationship To Life Satisfaction In Nursing Home Residents, David De Noble

Masters Theses

This study examines the relationship between life satisfaction and the volition subsystem of 32 older adults who reside in nursing homes. Specifically, it attempts to measure congruence or the perception of the individual that the inherent characteristics of an activity "fit" his or her sense of personal causation, values and interests. The study examines the relationship between this congruence and life satisfaction.

Results of the study identified positive correlations between congruence and life satisfaction. Correlations between congruence of volition subsystem components and activity were at a statistically significant level (p <.05) for personal causation, values and total volition. Correlations between congruence of volition subsystem components and some specific activities were also found.