Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Leadership Styles And Staff Satisfaction In Four Nursing Homes: Implications For Service Delivery, Carol Nightengale

Dissertations and Theses

This is a study of four nursing care facilities in Portland, Oregon in 1975-1976, which examines the relationship between leadership style and staff satisfaction, leadership style and patient satisfaction, and staff satisfaction and patient satisfaction.

Economic Coping Patterns Of Chinese Foreign Students In Portland State University, Kim Bik Au

Dissertations and Theses

The nature of this study is exploratory. It aims to explore the financial situation and the resources which students can use to cope with their problems. The primary purpose is to obtain a clearer picture of the situations of certain Chinese foreign students, to help those who intend to study abroad with their budgeting and planning. A secondary aim is to draw the attention of authorities concerned to improve or expand services to foreign students who already have overwhelming adjustment problems and who still have to carry the additional burden of pressure from restrictive regulations.

Attitudes Of Women Toward World Hunger, Judith L. Kidd

Dissertations and Theses

The primary purpose of this study is to explore the attitudes of women toward the world food crisis, their roles, and the roles of their countries in its possible solutions. The data is based on a questionnaire administered to women from thirty countries who attended the International Women's Year Tribune in Mexico City, June 19 to July 2, 1975.

The Negative Effects Of Divorce On The Behavior Of Children, David Hawkins, Karen Lloyd

Dissertations and Theses

Our study is concerned with the effects of filing for divorce on the behavior of children. We are interested in the adjustment of the child to the changes which occur during separation and divorce, and we maintain the attitude that the lives of children are affected in some way when a marriage or family unit dissolves. A generally accepted belief is that divorce produces negative consequences in the lives of children as shown in their behavior. However, recently a number of studies have suggested that divorce need not be a negative experience, at least to the degree most people feel …

A Model For Teaching Small Group Skills In A Laboratory Setting, Larry Ferguson, James Reavis

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this research practicum is to present the development, implementation, and evaluation of a model for teaching small group skills. This model was designed for a class in small groups that the authors of this paper taught at Portland State University in the School of Social Work. In designing this class, the authors were concerned with goals somewhat different than the more traditional goal of imparting knowledge about groups to the learner. The main goal of this class was to teach to students skills in working with small groups. This approach required developing a knowledge base about small …

A Study Of Counseling At Reed College, Martin Shawn Fisher, Mark Masterson

Dissertations and Theses

The main purpose of the study was to develop information which would be useful to the counselors of the Reed College Counseling Service in their practice. Specifically, information was sought on the outcomes of one to one counseling sessions. The aim of the inquiry was to determine some of the dynamics and results of individual counseling with Reed students. The goal was to discover information about successful and unsuccessful counseling sessions which would benefit the counselors in the provision of their services.

A review of the literature on outcome research in psychotherapy suggested that focusing the study on the treatment …

Strategies For Reducing Recidivism Of Mental Patients In Region I, Ellen Magaziner, Kathleen Mccarthy, Reyn Staffel

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose, of this study was to determine the type of community resources which facilitate community adjustment and tenure for ex-mental patients. Particular emphasis was placed on the extremely visible variable of post-hospital 1iving arrangements available to mentally and/or emotionally disturbed patients. Initially, the researchers assumed that such living situations would be a decisive element in the aftercare needs of ex-mental patients. However, the study was in itself broad enough to introduce other significant factors of equal or greater importance to the target population. The study, then, attempted to assess the relative value of such interrelated activities as living situation, …

The No-Fault Dissolution Of Marriage Act In Oregon: A Study Of Its Effect On Selected Factors, Dennis Arthur Armstrong

Dissertations and Theses

In October of 1972, the Dissolution of Marriage Act (hereinafter referred to as the Act) became a part of the law and judicial practice of the state of Oregon. The Act represents a significant change in Oregon's law. It also represents a significant evolutionary development in the 'attitude of the legal community toward the process of divorce or as it is now termed, dissolution of marriage.

The Act was a response to extensive criticism from professionals and from the public. The problem is the legislators were not sure of the effects of the Act and now that it is in …

Social Problems And Collaborative Planning: Toward A Theory And Model Of Social Planning, Marjorie M. Ille

Dissertations and Theses

The concern of this dissertation is planning theory and practice; its purpose is to make planning more responsive to the problems of the city. The premise that the study is built on is that social planning must be in harmony with the nature of its subject matter, and that social problems is its subject matter. The supposition is that if we grasp the nature of social problems and build planning theory and practice on these insights, planning efforts will be more relevant and more effective.

The approach is a theoretical one; social problems are the starting point. After urban problems--and …

Social Workers' Attitudes About Poverty, Trudy Hussmann

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to assess the attitudes of a select group of social workers in the Portland area. The study will focus on their attitudes about the causes of poverty and actions to deal with problems of poverty. These attitudes will be examined in the context of a theoretical framework. The sample consists of those social workers and social work-related professionals who serve as field instructors for the Portland State School of Social Work. This means that the study will also provide information about the attitudes that Portland State social work students are likely to encounter in …

Managing Human Services, Betsy W. Romain

Dissertations and Theses

Professional schools have realized for some time that there is an uncomfortable gap between the requirements of their academic curriculum and the realities of a professional job. The skills required, performance level and final product, are noticeably different in the academic world than in the work world. This void between what is required in school and what is required on the job, has become of increasing concern as larger numbers of academically qualified students compete for a decreasingly smaller number of jobs. Additionally, institutes of higher education, caught in current day fiscal realities, are under pressure from both students and …

A Functional Analysis Of The Effects Of A Token Economy Program On Attending Behavior In Children And Subsequent Test Performance, Kay Delores Lillig Cotter

Dissertations and Theses

Thirty children, 4 years 8 months to 6 years 7 months, enrolled in a privately operated day school, were randomly assigned to either a treatment group or a control group over a one week period of baseline and a one week period of treatment. The experiment was designed to determine, if the implementation of a token economy program to decrease disruptive behavior in a classroom would result in improved academic performance. Both the children's and teacher's behavior were assessed. The findings were nonsignificant for all of the dependent measures for children's behavior. The only significant effect for teacher's behavior was …

The Effects Of Low, Moderate, And High Self-Disclosure On Electromyographic, Psychogalvanic, And Attitudinal Response, Jonathan I. Lange

Dissertations and Theses

This is a study of the effects of three different levels of intimate self-disclosure, low, moderate, and high, on electromyographic, psychogalvanic, and attitudinal response. The electromyography (EMG) and psychogalvanometer (GSR) are both devices which measure physiological "activation" or excitation level of the individual.

House Bill 1302: An Armistice In The Fish War On The Columbia, Emery Lewellyn Albertson

Dissertations and Theses

In late Spring of 1969, shortly before the Oregon Legislative Session adjourned, House Bill No. 1302 as amended passed the last legislative hurdle and was signed by the Governor. The new statute recognized steelhead trout as a game fish and provided for an incidental catch of these fish by the commercial fishery.

HB 1302 was a turning point in a century of conflict over anadromous fish of the Columbia River. The bill served as an armistice in a long sports-commercial steelhead conflict by providing some protection for these fish from commercial fishing. However the bill held off a major shift …

The Effects Of An Innovative Curriculum On The Attitudes Of "Educationally Disadvantaged" Freshman College Students, Julius William Wilkerson

Dissertations and Theses

Educational research literature suggests the expectations for success in college for youth from "educationally disadvantaged" backgrounds are tragically small. Reasons offered for this have included the lack of requisite academic preparation, lack of motivation, lack of appreciation for the value of a college education. The general purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an innovative instructional technique in promoting the development of positive attitudes about self-worth, and academic achievement, for "disadvantaged" students. Specifically, this study attempted to identify the structure of attitudes of "educationally disadvantaged" students in the Portland State University support service program (Operation PLUS) about …

A Conditioning Model For The Mccollough Effect, Andreas D. Lord

Dissertations and Theses

A model based on the laws of classical conditioning is posed as an explanation for the McCollough Effect, an orientation-specific color aftereffect. This model stands as an alternative to the color-coded edge detector hypothesis. Background and relevant issues are presented. Two experiments were performed. The first demonstrated that an auditory stimulus causes the effect to appear stronger to some subjects, a disinhibiting effect. It was also shown that some subjects experience spontaneous recovery of the effect after it has been extinguished.

The second experiment demonstrated that the after-colors will generalize to lines of varying orientation, including 45°. Subjects adapted to …

The Predictive Validity Of A Police Officer Selection Program, Neil Bingham Davidson

Dissertations and Theses

This study was designed to determine the predictive validity of a police officer selection program and identify the contribution made by each major selection device to the total program. Police officers employed by the Portland Police Bureau who had completed three years of post-probationary employment were randomly assigned to a validation group and a cross-validation group on a two for one basis respectively. Beta weights were computed for the written test, interview and psychological scores in the validation group. The regression formula was then applied to the data in the cross-validation group. A cross-validation R of 0.12 was obtained between …

The Development Of Attitudes Toward Work Through "Career Education", Lonnie Fred Mcdonough Wheeler

Dissertations and Theses

Attitude measurement problems are discussed within the context of a contemporary movement in the field of education. A restricted definition of the alienation construct is suggested as a theoretical framework within which research in this area could be conducted. Construction and validation data on an instrument designed to measure attitudes toward work are reported. Pre and posttest scores (using the above measure as well as the Rotter I-E Scale) of two high school Career Education programs were compared. Neither program produced significant mean attitude change in terms of these measures. However, change detected by increase in the variance on the …

Development Of An Observation Instrument To Assess Behavior, Scott Marshall Nay

Dissertations and Theses

The Vernon-Nay Category Instrument was developed as the result of an experimental project in an inner-city school. The effects of the reorganization of the administration of the school and the total staff participation in a workshop about human relations and communications were evaluated by the change of behavior of fifth- and sixth grade students in the classroom. The Flanders’ Interaction Analysis (assesses teacher-student verbal behavior) would measure change that occurred: however, the Vernon teachers wanted an assessment instrument that could, also, be used in the future, without professional assistance. The F.I.A. observation system was too complex for the staff's, unassisted, …

A Comparative Study Of The Relative Incidence Of Various Vocal Parameters Among Black And White College Females, Barbara Kuhl Jacobs

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to make a comparative investigation of the voice quality of black and white women. A review of the literature revealed considerable research has been conducted in the area of black-white language differences in the United States, but very little research has been conducted regarding comparisons of voice quality of Blacks and Whites. The suggestion that certain voice qualities are more characteristic of Blacks or Whites when compared as groups led the writer to pursue the present investigation.

Moving Toward Integration: A Study Of Theory And Practice In Feminist Therapy, Susan Amelia Thomas

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis describes a study designed to explore the emerging field of feminist therapy. The goal was not to test the validity of feminist therapy, to probe the assumptions on which it is based, or to compare it to other forms of therapy but to characterize the theory and practice of feminist therapy as it now exists. Feminist therapy was seen as growing out of the cultural and historical context of the feminist movement, which includes a critique of society with emphasis on the particular psychological consequences for women, and a critique of psychotherapy, particularly Freudian psychotherapy, as oppressive to …

Role Exits Among The Aged, Nancy Whitelaw Mancini

Dissertations and Theses

The concept of role exit presented by Zena Smith Blau in her book, Old Age in a Changing Society, refers to the ongoing process of relinquishing previously enacted social roles; a process which is part of everyday life for men and women of all ages. However, Blau argues that role exits in later life are different from those in earlier stages of the life cycle because they tend to be terminal and involuntary. These factors, according to Blau, cause role exits in old age to negatively influence the individual's overall satisfaction with life.

This thesis examines the concept of …

An Identification Of Important Management, Administrative, And Planning Skills And Knowledge Essential To Middle-Managers Present Positions In A Variety Of Urban And Rural Social Welfare Settings In Oregon, Patricia Victoria Leonard

Dissertations and Theses

In July, 1974 the Social Rehabilitation Services of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, awarded a grant to the School of Social Work at Portland State University to "identify and examine the skills and abilities that are utilized by middle-management personnel in the human services field." The project sought to (1) identify and prioritize the management, administrative and planning skills utilized by practitioners in a variety of urban and rural social welfare setting throughout Oregon, (2) develop a list of middle-management skills deemed important for graduate and undergraduate students in the School of Social Work, and (3) provide data …

Exteroceptive Influence On A Marihuana Induced Conditioned Taste Aversion, Albert William Greenwood

Dissertations and Theses

Forty-five male, Sprague Dawley rats were used to determine if external stimuli could influence the length of a conditioned taste aversion. Animals were given a novel taste (sucrose), and then injected with one of three different substances, marihuana, LiCI, or saline. The animals were then placed into either a stimulation condition, a non-stimulation condition, or returned to the home cage. The stimulation condition contained aversive stimuli in the form of bright, flashing lights and loud noises. The other conditions had no aversive stimulation. It was expected that the animals receiving injections of marihuana would have an increase in their responsiveness …

Close Supervision Program: An Analysis Of A Human Services Program, Thomas Wright Jr., V. Henderson Trotman

Dissertations and Theses

Multnomah County, Oregon, like many other counties across the nation, faces the perplexing problem of meeting the needs of the youthful offender. Historically, and even in more recent times, juvenile court authorities have relied primarily on detention facilities to provide secure custody for youthful offenders. However, the continued increase in delinquency and a growing storm of criticism of the juvenile court have led to a re-examination of current policy and a number of proposed changes on both the national and local level.

A policy change in Multnomah County with regard to detention of youthful offenders has led to the closure …

A Comparison Of Concepts Of The Basic Underlying Assumptions Of The Introductory Speech Communication Course In The Oregon Community Colleges As Seen By Speech Communication Faculty And Self-Reported By Students, Vickie L. Hilgemann

Dissertations and Theses

This study is focused upon an investigation of the content and methodology of the introductory speech course in the Oregon community colleges. The current content appears to be one of an emphasis on skill building in the area of public speaking.

Previous research in the area of content and methodology of the basic course have centered on the courses offered at four-year institutions and has asked only faculty and administrators what they felt should be offered in the introductory course. This research study will instead question students and faculty at the vocational level in the community college of Oregon to …

Is There A Case For In-Kind Income Transfers? An Analysis Of The Low-Income Housing And Food Stamp Programs, Judith A. Barmack

Dissertations and Theses

The primary objective of this research was to assess the equity and efficiency of in-kind income transfers. The analytical framework employed incorporated key concepts of the utility interdependence paradigm from economic welfare theory. This paradigm views income transfers as social goods and suggests that social as well as private benefits may be derived from the redistribution of income. This study attempted to assess some of the empirical implications of the utility interdependence argument through the investigation of the low-income housing and Food Stamp programs in Multnomah County, Oregon for FY 1973.

Data were drawn from agency files, published statistics and …

A Descriptive Study Of Five Child Day Treatment Centers, Virginia Spurkland, Joyce Edwards

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is a descriptive study of five child day treatment centers in Oregon. Its purpose was to generate hypotheses about the relationships between parent reactions to the day treatment center, the center’s theoretical orientation toward treatment, and the organizational structure of the center.

The five centers involved in the study were: Poyama land in Independence, Oregon; the Child Psychiatric Day Center in Portland, Oregon; Mid-Columbia Children’s Center in the The Dalles, Oregon; the Child center in Eugene; and Edgefield Lodge in Troutdale, Oregon. These centers were selected for this study because of their proximity to the Portland area and …

Alternative Methods For The Analysis Of Curves, Randi Christine Martin

Dissertations and Theses

The interpretation of data from psychological experiments often involves the analysis and comparison of curves, like the electrocardiogram, spectral sensitivity, or dose-response curves. Existing statistical techniques are often inadequate for making this type of analysis. This thesis presents alternative methods for handling the data comprising curves and discusses the advantages of these techniques against those of existing methods.

Four types of analysis are discussed:

1. finding a confidence band around one curve,
2. finding a confidence band around the difference between two curves, or making an overall comparison between two curves,
3. decomposing a curve into its components,
4. making a component by component …

An Exploratory Study Of The Role Of Research In Social Work At Portland State University, Jo Mackay Imeson, Audrey Englebardt Zalutsky

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore and to evaluate the role of research in social work from the points of view of different populations affiliated with the Portland State University School of Social Work community. Students, faculty and field instructors, and agency directors were asked to express their subjective opinions in an effort to explore attitudes regarding the role of research in social work and to evaluate their estimate as to the value and position of the research component in the curriculum at Portland State University. The research program is intended to assist the student in becoming an …