Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Effects Of A Minimal Intervention On The Acquisition Of Behavior And An Evaluation Of The Utility Of Its Maintenance, Cheryl Anne Brandt

Masters Theses

Data based measures are rarely collected in. organizations to evaluate the performance of individuals and of any, except for the most major, projects implemented. The present study attempted to determine what was needed to initiate behaviors in implementing new activities and how long it was worthwhile to maintain those behaviors. A minimal antecedent control procedure was utilized to establish product promotion behaviors with six tellers in two banking branches. Data were collected both on teller behavior and the outcomes of teller behavior. The results of the study showed that antecedent controls were enough to initiate behavior but that over time, …

A Comparative Analysis Of Two Methods Of Administering The Position Analysis Questionnaire (Paq), Michael Heenan Swearingen

Masters Theses

This research examined two methods of administering the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ), a commercially available job analysis tool. The currently accepted method of administering the PAQ involves reading the job description, touring the work-site and then completing the PAQ with the incumbent. The second method used only the job description for the analysis data base. The comparison was made using three different measures, selection of GATB tests, "Selected PAQ Items" and PAQ aptitude attribute ratings. The two different methods selected the same GATB tests an average of 83% of the time and selected the same attributes 96% of the time. …

An Analysis Of Plant Remains From Draper Park, A Late Woodland Site In Southeastern Michigan, Jean F. Marek

Masters Theses

This paper presents an analysis of the plant remains from the Draper Park site, a food processing area located on the west side of the rapids at the head of the St. Clair River, which was occupied from the seventh century through the fourteenth century A.D. Activities relating to the procurement of two primary resources, fish and squash, were carried out during spring, summer, and fall. The exploitation of wild fruits (plums, cherries, elderberries, raspberries, and grapes) was of secondary importance.

Behavioral Management Of Multiple Food Aversions Of A Multiply Handicapped Child, Steven A. Stang

Masters Theses

Several behavioral treatments utilizing the delivery of preferred food with praise contingent upon consumption of nonpreferred foods were evaluated with a multiply handicapped child who exhibited multiple food aversions. Behavioral assessments of food preferences were used to identify preferred and nonpreferred foods and to monitor changes in the subject's preferences for nonpreferred target foods relative to other foods.

Following the implementation of treatment contingencies, a modest increase in the consumption of one nonpreferred target food, and substantial increases in consumption of a second nonpreferred target food, milk, other foods appearing on the lunch menu, and essential nutrients were observed. In …

The Effects Of An Instructional Package On Study Question Completion Skills Of High School Students, Jeffery David Montgomery

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to empirically evaluate the effects of an instructional package on study question behaviors. The instructional package, incorporating contingent reinforcement, modeling, feedback, contingency contracting and a programmed instruction format was implemented to train four study question answering behaviors identified through task analysis. Each subject demonstrated ability to perform the four behaviors with increased accuracy on experimental measures following training. Results indicated that the instructional package was effective in training increased accuracy in each instructional behavior for each subject. Generalized performance of these behaviors in the classroom environment, assessed through comparison of classroom grades and study …

The 1932 Coup In Thailand: An Account Of A Participant In The Coup, Perasant Ratanakul Serireongrith

Masters Theses

This study is a discussion of the 19 32 military coup d'etat in Thailand and the economic, political, and social conditions that contributed to that coup. A brief historical background of the absolute monarchy of the nation is included. There is a discussion of the coup participants and their motives, as well as their planning and execution of the coup on June 24, 19 32. Throughout the study is information acquired through recent taped interviews with General Charoon Ratanakul Serireongrith, a participant of the coup.

An Evaluation Of A Library Skills Workbook For Beginning College Students, David Dean Alleman

Masters Theses

The quasi-experimental study was undertaken to evaluate the usefulness of the library skills workbook for beginning students at Hillsdale College. The pretest was administered to five sections of a freshman English course. Five other sections, which analysis of SAT, ACT, and first semester GPA figures indicated were similar to the pretest group, constituted experimental and control groups. The experimental group completed the workbook and a research project. The minimally and moderately instructed groups received instruction and completed a library based project. The posttest indicated significant differences between the groups, probably due to the workbook experience. Recommendations are made for further …

Coalition Politics In Malaysia, Zakiah Awang

Masters Theses

This thesis has attempted to explain the success and the stability of the coalition party system in Malaysia from 1955 to 1982. This success has been attributed to three factors.

The most important factor is the role played by political elites. Malaysian political elites come from a different racial background. It is their willingness to cooperate, work together in harmony and to find solutions through compromises that helped to hold the coalition party together. Elite cooperation, in turn, has been fostered through similarities in the leaders' socioeducational- linguistic backgrounds.

The success of the coalition party is also closely linked to …

The Moral Majority: The Fundamental1st-Christian's Fight Against Humanism And Pluralism In American Politics, James A. Kruis

Masters Theses

The Moral Majority claims to be nonreligious but they are actually a very religious reaction against humanism and pluralism, fighting their battle from behind a facade of legitimate moral issues. Their reaction against humanism is due to their failure to distinguish properly between religion and morality. Their reaction against pluralism is a result of the fact that pluralism has been overextended and thus weakened, making it vulnerable to attack. In place of humanism and pluralism the Moral Majority advocates more freedom: freedom from government interference and freedom to solve social problems with "moral, spiritual" solutions.

The Moral Majority could make …

The Repeated Acquisition Procedure As A Means Of Analyzing Instructional Stimulus Control And Rule-Directed Behavior, Jeffrey S. Danforth

Masters Theses

Pre-school children were taught to emit four-response chains using the repeated acquisition design. Experiment 1 examined the effect of instructional stimuli. Many errors were made in Control Learning, followed by few errors in Control Relearning. Instructional cues resulted in few errors in the morning learning session, but many relearning errors were made. Experiment 2A determined if two-trial cuing with instructional stimuli would improve relearning performance. The result was fewer relearning errors, but the criterion required more learning trials. In Experiment 2B a rule was taught relevant to two-trial cuing. In Experiment 3 a child was told that the morning and …

An Application Of Performance Analysis In A Food Cooperative, Lone Milani

Dissertations

A performance systems analysis was applied in a small business to diagnose problems and direct decisions in order to solve performance deficiencies of that organization. A "performance audit," as the approach is called, consists of analyzing an operating system from the most general to the most specific levels of vantage (i.e., levels at which a system operates). The levels of vantage for any system are: philosophical, cultural, policy, strategic, tactical, and logistic. At each level the actual performance was compared to predetermined standards called "exemplary performance." This comparison facilitated the diagnosis of the organization's deficiencies.

The study attempted to design …

The Relationship Between Systems Theory And Behavior Analysis, Michael B. Oberlin

Dissertations

This paper provides a conceptual framework which clarifies the relationship between General Systems Theory and Behavior Analysis. This framework is supplied by a theoretical notion borrowed from Simon (1962), the notion of "dynamics of interaction." "Interaction" refers to interaction between the units of analysis of science, e.g., in the analysis of behavior, stimuli, responses, and consequences in economics, units of supply and demand. The paradigm of Behavior Analysis is seen to accommodate a "higher-frequency dynamics" found in subsystems; and General Systems Theory, along with disciplines like Economics and Organizational Analysis, accommodates a "lower-frequency dynamics" found in systems. Argument is based …

The Socializer, June 1983, Western Michigan University

The Socializer

Volume 1, Number 22 of the Socializer, published June, 1983.

Welfare Spending In The American States: A Comparative Perspective, W. Joseph Heffernan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The federal-state system of welfare is the result of a compromise between the desire for national standards and the opportunity for each state to have its own adaptation. As a compromise, there is a constant tension in the system. During the 1970's, there was a pressure toward federalization, but the states have preserved their diversity. The Reagan Administration has clearly indicated a desire to "return" greater freedom to the states to chart their own course. The purpose of this paper is to identify variations among the states in such a way as to identify those states with consistently "high" or …

State And Regional Politics: Introduction, Timothy W. Lause

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The policy decisions of the states have become increasingly important to social welfare in recent years. In that sense, it is an opportune time to introduce an interdisciplinary collection of articles which has as its principal focus the circumstances and the processes of policy at the state level. With one exception, the articles which address regional concepts do so in the context of comparative or case studies of one or more state policy decisions.

Staff Activities In The Texas House Of Representatives, David F. Prindle, James Burshtyn

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this study multivariate analysis is applied to the allocation of staff time among members of the Texas House of Representatives. Ideology of the representative is found to be an important factor in explaining differences in staff behavior. Chief staffers serving liberal Democrats and Republicans report spending less time on constituency service, and more time on policy research, than do staffers serving conservative Democrats. There are differences between the parties, but not between the ideologies, on time spent with lobbyists. Other variables, such as urban population of the district, and the years a legislator has served in the House, show …

The Impact Of Women Legislators On Introduction Of Social Legislation Into A Southern State House, Marjorie A. Baney

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The study investigated the interest of male and female legislators in social legislation as measured by the number of bills each group introduced. Legislators included in the study were the entire female population of the North Carolina General Assembly House of Representatives serving between January and July 1981, and an equal number of their male colleagues randomly selected. Comparisons of the female and male legislators in the study criteria such as number of legislative terms served, relative power of committees on which they served, number of committee chairpersonships and independent rankings and effectiveness by colleagues, lobbyists and the media revealed …

Regional Planning Of Mental Health Services: An Illinois Case Example, Wynne Sandra Korr

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Now that Reagan has ended a twenty-year pattern of federal involvement in setting mental health policy priorities, states must develop models for implementing and maintaining services to the mentally ill. The Illinois model of regional offices which plan and monitor programs is described. A case example showing how one such office developed services in a minority community is given. Examples of the work of other offices illustrate the flexibility of this model in meeting special community needs.

Black Appalachian Families, Arthur J. Cox

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The black family in America has been subjected to social change more than the family of any other racial or ethnic group. An overview of its adjustment through successive crises of African transplantation, slavery, sudden emancipation, migration to cities and the vicissitudes of second-class citizenship help in understanding the black family's contemporary forms. The black family of Appalachia faces yet another problem - (INVISIBILITY)

The Sunset Review Of A Social Work Board Of Examiners: A Case Example, Stephen R. Block

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The author reviews the events following the passage of Colorado's pioneer Sunset Review Legislation in 1976. The experiences of the 36 states which passed Sunset Legislation have been varied. Lobbying efforts in addition to costs have played a significant role in the review process and outcome. A case analysis of the Sunset Review of the Colorado Social Work Board of Examiners illustrates the tenacity of a group of professionals determined to maintain legal regulation of the social work field. The group's success was a result of political organization and the technical expertise required to influence policy makers.

Social Work Pac's And State Social Work Associations Purpose, History, And Action Strategies, Gary Mathews

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social work as a profession has only recently become politically active. One consequence of this interest in the political process has been the proliferation of political action committees as creatures of the National Association of Social Workers and its state chapters. Social work PAC's are a key ingredient necessary to enable the profession to influence public policy. Perhaps because political action committees are new to NASW, or perhaps because NASW is new to politics, very little has been written about the history, purpose or strategic implications of these committees.

This paper will trace the development and operation of PAC's and …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 10, No. 2 (June 1983)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• State and Regional Politics: Introduction - TIMOTHY W. LAUSE
• Welfare Spending in the American States: A Comparative Perspective - W. JOS HEFFERNAN
• Disinnovation in the American States: Policy Toward Health System Agencies - KEITH MUELLER, JOHN COHER
• Policy Traditions in American State Politics - ROBERT L. SAVAGE
• The Intersection of Political Culture and Fiscal Federalism: State Block Grants in Alabama, DAVID SINK, NICHEL. WILSON
• Political Symbolism in Juvenile Justice: Reforming Florida's Juvenile Detention Criteria
• C. AARON McNEECE, MICHELE WILSON
• Legislative Evaluation of Social Welfare Programs: The Processes and Consequences - PATRICIA K. FREEMAN, WILLIAM LYONS
• Staff Activities …

Disinnovation In The American States: Policy Toward Health Systems Agencies, Keith Mueller, John Comer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Requiring the states to involve consumers in health planning through local health planning boards (HSAs) was an attempt by the federal government to control health care costs. Elimination of this requirement more recently has meant some states have discontinued the program. The elimination of HSAs can be considered a case of policy disinnovation. Drawing on the innovation literature, the following variables were expected to correlate, although negatively, with elimination of HSAs: value added to manufacturing, average acre value of farms, per capita income, population living in metropolitan areas, and party competition. All were found to correlate negatively. Predisposition to spend …

Policy Traditions In American State Politics, Robert L. Savage

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An examination of the states across a wide range of policy innovations during three historical periods reveals policy traditions having distinctive geographic limits roughly conforming to major regions commonly recognized in American politics. Only two of these traditions, the "Southern Parochial" and the "Northeastern Bureaucratic," persist across time and even these have been weakened. This provides some evidence that while multilinear evolution along regional lines will continue to contribute to differences in policy values among the American states in the foreseeable future, sociocultural integration is the stronger dynamic in American political development, especially since about 1930.

The Intersection Of Political Culture And Fiscal Federalism: State Block Grants In Alabama, David Sink, Michele Wilson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Political culture and intergovernmental relations together shape specific policy actions of a state government within the constraints of its economic condition. Although financial resources provided a state government strongly influence the level of its policy outputs, the political and administrative dynamics appear to affect the exact nature of that policy. A case study of state block grant implementation in the state of Alabama provides an opportunity to observe these variables in action. In particular, the prominent role played by the executive branch appears to have influenced strongly the decisions made concerning social services, health policy, and community development.

Political Symbolism In Juvenile Justice: Reforming Florida's Juvenile Detention Criteria, C. Aaron Mcneece, Mark Ezell

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A recent reform in Florida's juvenile detention criteria was over-turned during the subsequent legislative session. This paper describes both the initial reform and its reversal and suggests that symbolic political rewards may often be more important than the actual consequences of a policy. Recommendations are made for accomplishing policy reform in a traditional political culture.

Legislative Evaluation Of Social Welfare Programs: The Process And Consequences, Patricia K. Freeman, William Lyons

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Program review has increased substantially in recent years. There has been concern that the upsurge in policy evaluation would be detrimental to social welfare programs, where data is often unavailable, little agreement exists concerning specific goals and documenting success is often virtually impossible. In this analysis we compared the program evaluation of social welfare programs with non-social welfare programs. The review process differed substantially as did the recommendation made as a result of the review. Social welfare programs faced more criticisms than non-social welfare programs. However, the criticisms were less serious. Changes prior to the publication of the evaluation report …

An Advocacy Approach For More Effective Program Delivery And Coordination: A Case Study Of Maine's Housing Rehab Techs, Kenneth K. Ahn, James F. Horan, G. Thomas Taylor

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A detailed case analysis of the Maine Housing Rehabilitation Project provides an exploratory observation of the innovative use of human resources at the federal, state and regional levels through an evolutionary development process of housing rehabilitation technicians. Functioning largely as advocate planners and human service delivery administrators through self-expanded roles, these individuals were able to promote change in the context of this intergovernmental environment. The analysis presented here reveals findings of intrastate regional differences between the urban and rural areas. Low income citizens appear to be the main beneficiaries of a proactive style of leadership that was performed by the …

Alternative Service Delivery Strategies: Factors In States' Decision Making, Harold W. Demone Jr., Margaret Gibelman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article focuses on the range of choices and factors affecting state level decision making about how human services are to be delivered. In light of the dual thrusts of decentralization and privatization, the viability of public-private partnerships through contracting for services is explored. Among the significant factors affecting decisions about alternative forms of service delivery are: political and fiscal preferences; the strength of organized labor; the role and availability of the private service sector and history with purchase of service. The advantages and disadvantages attributed to a contracting model for delivering services are unlikely to be argued from an …

The Creationist Movement: Science, Religion And Ideology, George M. Bevins

Masters Theses

A sample of literature produced by participants in the "creationist movement" is examined in an effort to delineate the ideology of the movement. This ideology is seen as a repertoire of images of science, evolution and society which is used by creationists in their efforts to propagate their movement. Based on this literature, an "ideological substructure of belief" within the creationist movement is described, consisting of their belief in a created normative order in the world and of their fear that this order is breaking down. It is argued that the various particular aspects of the creationists' social ideology, their …