Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Effect Of Visual Feedback On Vocal Pitch Matching, Anita R. Herron

Dissertations and Theses

A review of the literature on the inaccurate singer provided strong evidence that improvement in pitch matching skill was possible. Visual feedback was found to be an effective aid in earlier studies, but none of the previous studies provided both a comparison group which had identical practice without the visual cues and a control group which received no form of practice. Such a design was used in the present study.

Thirty students at Portland State University who claimed to have considerable difficulty carrying a tune were given the opportunity to try to match Individual pitches under one of three conditions …

An Examination Of The Interrelationship Between Caregiver Behaviors, Infant Temperament And Perceptual-Cognitive Development, Anita E. Stauffer

Dissertations and Theses

The present study extended the Lewis and Goldberg (1968) study and included the parameter of infant temperament as defined by Thomas, Chess, Birch, Hertzig and Korn (1963). As in the Goldberg study, the index of response decrement was used as a measure of the infant’s development. It was hypothesized that response decrement would be positively correlated with high frequency of caregiver stimulation and negatively correlated with high infant intensity and activity ratings. Response decrement is the measured decrease in the amount of time an infant looks at a novel stimulus after several trials. It was computed by observing the infant’s …

A Methodology For Determining Mass Movement Susceptibility For Land-Use Planning, Vern Walter Cimmery

Dissertations and Theses

Land-use planning takes into consideration geologic hazards in order to protect both life and property. One type of geologic hazard is mass movement. Mass movement is a collective term for the downslope movement of mass units of debris e.g., bedrock, soil, and subsurface material, resulting from the influence of gravity and involving transporting media such as ice, snow, water, and air. As population increases, further pressures are placed on existing land use. Many areas once considered unsuitable for development due to steep slope or other physical characteristics are now experiencing problems. These areas, due to their physical characteristics, can be …

Historical Aspects Of Indian Life And Their Effects On The Urban Indian, Ramona Cliff

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore one aspect of American Indian life: the personal situations and political implications of the American Indian residing in an urban setting.

International Variation In Metropolitanism: National Integration Into An International System Of Countries As An Important Consideration, Michael Lee Lindsay

Dissertations and Theses

The research reported here is directed toward the determination of whether or not the proportion of a country's population living in cities of 100,000 or more is significantly affected by that country's involvement in trade relations with other countries. The proportion of a country's population living in cities of 100,000 or more was termed its level of metropolitanism. It is proposed that international variation in metropolitanism is a function of, among other things, the country's position relative to other countries in a world system of intersocietal functional linkages. It is argued that one of the best indicators of the functional …

Coordination In Social Service Systems: The Area Agency On Aging As A Case Study, Terrie Todd Wetle

Dissertations and Theses

It is the purpose of this research to examine the interactions between organizations and the work of coordinating agencies in influencing those interactions using social exchange theory. A model was developed, incorporating elements of exchange theory, and the components of that model examined in the community. Techniques of change and the outcomes of activities of the coordinating agency were examined in an effort to develop a "case study" of a coordinating agency's activity in the community.

Historically, social services were provided in the community through informal, often familial, networks. With the urbanization of society, social services have become more formalized …

Homosexuality Among Women: Historical And Current Views In Psychology, Craig Bracy

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this review is to evaluate the methodology of past and present research with female homosexuals and then to summarize the current state of knowledge in psychology and psychiatry. The data presented in this review have been derived predominantly from material abstracted in the Medicus Index (1900-1976) and Psychology Abstracts (1927-1976).

This reviewer has established specific criteria by which all studies throughout this literature review will be examined. These are: sample size, sampling of experimental control groups, variable controlled (age, education, etc), how sexual orientation was determined, and tests and questionnaires employed, their reliability, validity, administration, and interpretation. …

Verbal Strategies In Small Group Communication, Christine Marie Bunsick

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate certain types of verbal communications people use in small task-oriented groups. The verbal communications analyzed are certain phrases a speaker may use prior to the central idea of the statement uttered. These verbal communications are referred to as "language tactics".

Language tactics are defined here as specific phrases a speaker may use to excuse, justify, rationalize, or interpret for the listener(s) what the speaker is about to say before saying it. The purpose of this study is to look at language tactics as they are used by members of small task-oriented groups …

Aging And The Semantic Differential: Semantic Stability In The Measurement Of Social Evaluation, Marilyn Diane Petersen

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the validity of utilizing the same semantic differential test as a measure of social evaluation for persons of different ages. The semantic differential, a rating technique by which judgments of stimuli are made on seven-interval bipolar descriptive continua called "scales", currently receives widespread usage as a measure of attitudes toward aging and the elderly. However, a lack of semantic stability across stimuli and across subjects, known, respectively, as "concept-scale" and "subject-scale" interaction, has been found to occur with the technique in various areas of research. That such a lack of stability might …

The Nature And Distribution Of Turf-Banked Terraces In The Olympic Mountains, Washington, Katherine Jane Hansen

Dissertations and Theses

Well-developed turf-banked terraces are found in the Olympic.Mountains of Washington, but not found· in the other mountains of the Pacific Northwest. My study is based just on the Olympic Mountains and the·major thrust of my investigation is aimed at answering questions: What is the nature of turf-banked terrace development in the Olympic Mountains? Why does it occur, and what is its local ecological significance? The major field investigations were carried out during the summer of 1975.

A two hour reconnaissance was made over the Olympic Mountains to plot the distribution of turf-banked terraces; the most striking discovery was that terraces …

Contributions To Tualatin Ethnography: Subsistence And Ethnobiology, Henry B. Zenk

Dissertations and Theses

There is a considerable amount of unpublished source material on Kalapuyan ethnography. This consists primarily of manuscript field notes from three linguistically trained scholars: Albert S. Gatschet, who collected Kalapuyan linguistic and ethnographic data during a visit to Grand Ronde Reservation in 1877, Leo J. Frachtenberg, who worked with a number of Kalapuyan informants from 1913 to 1915, and Melville Jacobs, who worked with the last surviving speakers of Kalapuyan languages during a number of sessions between 1928 and 1936. Data from these three authorities, plus other available data, reveal many details about aboriginal Kalapuyan life ("aboriginal" here referring to …

A Comparative Study Of Aristotle's Poetics And Ezra Pound's Abc Of Reading, Michael P. Hagensick

Dissertations and Theses

This paper is a comparative study of Aristotle's Poetics and Ezra Pound's ABC of Reading to discover and determine values in literature, especially poetry, which reflect on the nature and the manifestations of human communication. I feel that scholars in the field of communication can benefit personally and academically from exposure to those poets who have expressed themselves on the reasons or the manners in which people communicate. To pursue this question requires the use of a guide to poetry, a method by which I can learn to recognize a poem on sight; so that when it comes to discourse …

A Holistic Approach To Social Work Education, Lynda M. Wright

Dissertations and Theses

The thesis examines social work education from a broad perspective, examining aspects of stress (empathy, self awareness, needs of students, needs of professionals), trends in graduate education and the mind-body-spirit connection from other fields, specifically Hatha yoga, Gestalt Therapy, Aikido, Meditation and other modes of treatment.

Maternal And Child Health Training Assessment, Robert H. Abrams

Dissertations and Theses

The School of Social Work at Portland State University has administered a Maternal and Child Health Training Project over the past ten years which has focused on two major objectives: 1) providing medically oriented social workers for the state of Oregon, and; 2) stimulating interest in maternal and child health in the field of social work. The purpose of the study was to obtain some data in order to evaluate the degree of success experienced in realizing these objectives. The study sought to determine where the 53 graduates who have been trained through the project are employed, what aspects of …

Postdivorce Parental Roles: A Descriptive Study, Victor R. Congleton, Lisa Christina Londos

Dissertations and Theses

Divorce is becoming an increasingly common phenomenon in American society. Its occurrence is increasing both in absolute and relative numbers, and also in its involvement of minor children. As will be demonstrated below, very little is actually known about the process of divorce or about its impact on the members of the family. Of particular concern is the effect of divorce on the children invo1ved, and the decisions and practice of the divorcing parents regarding their subsequent parenting relationship to the children.

The authors of this report intend to study a random sample of divorcing couples and to derive a …

A Descriptive Study Of Eleven Parent Conferences In A Child Development Center, Yolanda A. Moser

Dissertations and Theses

This is a report of a descriptive study of eleven video-taped diagnostic conferences involving parents of developmentally delayed children who have been assessed at a training facility which provides diagnostic services to a variety of delayed or handicapped children. The variables described were: (1) the amount of verbal participation of staff and parents; and (2) parent ratings of satisfaction obtained from a brief questionnaire administered orally.

The data revealed that: (1) there is no relationship between parent verbal participation and parent satisfaction with the conference; and (2) there is a relationship between parent satisfaction and process and content factors in …

A Descriptive Study Of Oregon Literacy Tutors In Multnomah County, Marva Schwiebert, Kathleen Whittle

Dissertations and Theses

Oregon Literacy, Inc., requested a study of the volunteer tutors in Multnomah County. This study is primarily based on responses to questionnaires sent to all volunteer tutors on the active list with the program in Multnomah County, including all persons who were certified in the training workshops held in 1975. Results of the questionnaire are examined, and the thesis offers a descriptive analysis of Oregon Literacy Tutors in Multnomah County, Oregon.

Male Client Expectations Of Female Therapists, Phyllis Whitman Heims, Susan Annette Ofstad

Dissertations and Theses

This practicum intends to explore the existence and nature of male client expectations of female therapists. The underlying assumptions of this study include: (1) clients have expectations; (2) sex roles exist in society; and (3) the sex of either the therapist or the client is a variable in the therapeutic situation.

To carry out this study it is necessary to pursue the following tasks. The first step will be to define possible client expectations of therapists. Using this information, a questionnaire will be developed to verify the existence of these expectations. In addition, the questionnaire will hopefully indicate whether these …

An Exploratory Study Of The Effects Of Parenting Relationships On Children's School Adjustment, Raymond M. Lappin, Lisa J. Posner, Marcia S. Smith

Dissertations and Theses

As indicated in the National Vital Statistics Report of April 1973, the rate of divorces involving minor children is increasing rapidly in this country. Consequently, concern about the effects of divorce on children has been growing. In 1974, a collaborative effort between the Clackamas County (Oregon) Circuit Court and the Portland State University National Justice Educational Development Project was begun to study the impact of divorce on children and their parents (IDCAP). Heading the team of researchers are Stanley N. Cohen, Ph.D., and Nolan Jones, Research Associate. Of special interest to Cohen and Jones is the parenting relationship of the …

An Examination Of The Relationship Between Population Density, Density Related Social Factors, And Physical Morbidities, Douglas King Huebner

Dissertations and Theses

The relationship between the number of persons per room in the home and the relative occurrence of stress-related morbidities of hospitalized patients is investigated. The social factors of age, social class, and level of social support also are examined as they relate to both density and morbidity type occurrence. The population under study is composed of all Kaiser-Permanente Medical Care Program members twenty years of age and older, discharged from Bess Kaiser Hospital during 1974, and whose diagnosed morbidity was included in specific morbidity categories. All data were obtained through the facilities of the Health Services Research Center, Kaiser Foundation …

Lifespring's Basic Seminar: An Evaluation Study, Patricia A. Percival

Dissertations and Theses

This was a three part study designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Basic Seminar, a five-day personal growth training designed and presented by Lifespring, Inc. The instrument used in this study was the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) published in 1963 by Everett L. Shostrom and copyrighted by Edits Publishing Co., San Diego, CA. This inventory consists of 150 two-choice comparative value and behavior judgments. Two basic scales measure personal orientation, inner directed support and time competence. Ten subscales measure different conceptually important elements of self-actualizing. The items are scored twice, once for the two basic scales and second for …

Clinical Application Of The Midi-Mult, Barbara Hendricks

Dissertations and Theses

The MMPI is used as a diagnostic tool in clinical settings. However, its length is a detriment. Various attempts have been made to develop shortened versions of the standard MMPI. One of the widely used short forms is Kincannon's Mini-Mult, but its validity scales are less accurate than the full MMPI.

Dean's Midi-Mult is a more recent short form of the MMPI designed to approximate more closely the scores on the validity scales and clinical scales of the standard MMPI.

The Effect Of Natural Childbirth Classes On Anxiety In Pregnant Women, Kitty M. Wilkinson

Dissertations and Theses

A study was conducted to investigate the claim made by proponents of the natural childbirth method that attendance in the program results in a decrease of the anxiety commonly associated with pregnancy and delivery. Seventy-two pregnant women filled out the A-State and A-Trait forms of the STAI twice in their obstetricians' offices at points which approximated 6.5 and 8.5 months along in their pregnancies. Subjects who elected not to attend natural childbirth classes evidenced significantly higher state and trait scores as compared to those scores of subjects who did attend classes. Implications for dealing with these differences are discussed in …

Mary's River Kalapuyan: A Descriptive Phonology, Yvonne P. Hajda

Dissertations and Theses

The thesis is an attempt to apply procedures of descriptive linguistic analysis to a body of material phonetically transcribed by Leo J. Frachtenberg in the Mary's River dialect of the central Kalapuyan language. In 1913-14 Frachtenberg collected thirteen volumes of myth texts in Mary's River, twelve from William Hartless and one from Grace Wheeler; in addition, there were notes to the texts, three volumes of grammatical notes, and some ethnographic material. The phonetic transcription was carried out in the pre- phonemic tradition of recording everything the speaker said as accurately as possible. There was no attempt to elicit forms in …

Specialized Out-Of-Home Care Project: An Outcome Study, Carol Teresa Arden, Bonnie Jean Braeutigam, Dennis Schilling, Charlotte Mary Wellman

Dissertations and Theses

This research practicum is an outcome study of the Specialized Out-of-Home Care project (S.O.H.C.). The project, administered by the Oregon Children's Services Division, was designed to provide alternative care resources to specifically meet the needs of Portland's juvenile target offenders, who required out-of-home care. The juvenile offenders accepted into the S.O.H.C. project were between the ages of ten to eighteen, and had been adjudicated for target ctimes. The S.O.H.C. project was federally funded for a twenty-nine month period beginning on May 1, 1974 and extends through September of 1976. This study will include only the clients referred and placed during …

An Exploratory Study Concerning Reasons Given For Termination Of Provision Of Foster Care, Linda Ann Nelson

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this practicum is to determine reasons given by former foster parents for their termination of provision of foster care.

Research was completed through a survey of the literature in the field of roster care and through inquiries with personnel currently working with foster care programs in Columbia and Multnomah Counties. Utilizing the concerns of the personnel and issues raised in the literature, a questionnaire was developed which was intended specifically for former roster families currently residing in Columbia County. 48.9 percent of the questionnaires were returned.

The results showed that fifty percent of the foster families who …

The Evolution Of The Birth Control Movement In The United States, Linda B. Mcmahan

Dissertations and Theses

The evolution of the birth control movement in the United States is the focus of this dissertation. The period of emphasis is 1873 to the present, though earlier history is briefly dealt with.

The research method used was an extensive library search of the literature, followed by categorization and analysis of the data.

The birth control movement was found to adapt to the sociological model of social movements and was discussed within this context. Two parallel movements were found to be of importance: the birth control movement itself and the population control movement. The orientations and relationships between these two …

An Exploratory Study Of Runaway Female Adolescents In A Residential Treatment Center, Mary E. Cook, Stan Jasper

Dissertations and Theses

If correctional institutions are to function according to established criteria, that is, to "correct" the deviant behavior of juvenile delinquents, then one obvious requirement is to have continuous contact with that individual over a period of time. This research project is one attempt to study runaways from the juvenile delinquent girls institution. This study specifically focuses on what factors influence a girl to run away and what factors encourage her to stay at Villa St. Rose.

Both researchers discovered in working at Villa St. Rose that one the biggest obstacles for the treatment program was the number of runaways that …

A Test Of Conservation For Continuous And Discontinuous Quantity In The Very Young Child, Nancy Patrick Kaye

Dissertations and Theses

The development of mathematical concepts in children has been studied by many researchers. Much of this research has focused on the concept of conservation which was introduced by Piaget. It has generally been assumed that children under the age of five years are not capable of such conservation. Some recent evidence suggests that children Wlder this age do conserve on particular tasks. In this study one hundred children from age two years four months to three years seven months were tested for conservation of discontinuous and continuous quantity. Although some evidence of conservation in this age range was obtained, no …

Deviant Self-Concept Among Marijuana Dealers: Examining The Applicability Of Labeling Concepts, Cynthia Madaris

Dissertations and Theses

The subject of this thesis is dope dealing in marijuana. However, the main interest in this topic is not centered on unique behavior patterns of persons engaged in this illegal activity nor is it much concerned with the activity itself. Rather, this study was designed to investigate empirically claims of labeling theorists and deviance theory. Through focused interviews with dealers of marijuana, an inquiry was made into deviant self-concepts on the part of those persons. More specifically, attention centered around the variables of type of dealer (lid or small quantity pound); length of time in dealing business; and contact with …