Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A Three Step Strategy For Training A Beginning Teacher To Use Positive Social Reinforcement In The Classroom, Robert D. Morris

Master's Theses

The purpose of the study was to measure the effectiveness of a three-step strategy designed to modify a classroom teacher's consequating behavior. In Step 1, a group contingency game was introduced into the classroom to reduce talk-outs and out-of-seats. In Step 2, the game was supplemented by observer instructions and feedback to the teacher concerning her consequating behavior. The purpose of the feedback was to increase teacher approval for appropriate behavior and to decrease teacher disapproval for inappropriate behavior. In Step 3, the group contingency game was removed but the teacher continued to receive feedback on her consequating behavior. Therefore, …

Retention As A Function Of Transfer Paradign And Introversion-Extroversion, Glenna F. Hasslacher

Master's Theses

In an effort to investigate the effects of personality on paired-associate learning, sixty students from the Univer­ sity of Richmond were separated into three groups of extro­ vert, control, and introvert, on the basis of the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI). Five Ss from each group were randomly assigned to four paired-associate learning conditions (A-Br, A-C, C-B, C-D) and required to learn an A-B and a second paired-associate learning list to a criterion of one perfect score. Subjects were required to return to the lab after 24 hours for a retention test of both the second list and the original A-B …

Effect Of Massed And Disturbed Practice On Reading Comprehension For High And Low Anxious College Students, Robert C. Kanoy

Master's Theses

Thirty-si x mal e and femal e col lege students selected from a data bank of 335 students were ested for readi ng comprehensi on. Students were of average schol asti c apti tude wi th ei ther an extreme hi gh or extreme l ow score on the TMAS. The learni ng task , whi ch served as the test for readi ng comprehensi on, was presented to each student under ei ther massed or di stri buted practi ce at a control led rate of speed. The number of correct responses to a multiple choice test served as …

Predicting Leader Emergence Within Fielder's Contingency Model Of Leadership Effectiveness, Helen Ferguson Daniel

Master's Theses

Eighteen fourman groups consisting of female undergraduates at the University of Richmond participated in problem-solving tasks within the restrictions of an all-channel communication network. Each subject was chosen by her scores on Fiedler' s (1967) Least-preferred co-worker (LPC) scale. The hypothesis that low LPC Ss would emerge as group leaders under the conditions of Octant II of Fiedler's contingency model was not supported by the nominations of twelve groups. Two-factor ANOV s showed non­ significant time differences over time for the four leadership conditions. These results are consistent with the Rice and Chemers (1973) findings which indicate that Fiedler' s …

Auditory Or Visual Perception : Which Is The Better Predictor Of Reading Comprehension, Thomas Spencer Chalkley Jr.

Master's Theses

All first and third graders from a surburban public school were administered the Kerby Learning Modalities Test (KLMT) and the Metropolitan Achievement Test Battery (MAT). The relationship between the MAT reading compre­ hension subtest percentile scores, the KLMT overall visual percentile scores, and the KLMT overall auditory percentile scores were explored through the use of Regression Analysis and other correlational techniques. The various correlations were used in several prediction models. There was no significant difference (p> .01) between the .full model predicting Reading Comprehension (RC) with Auditory (A) and Visual (V) and the restricted model predicting RC with A; however …

The Effects Of Live Modeling And Specificity Of Verbal Reinforcement On The Modification Of Classroom Behavior, James Joseph Fox Iii

Master's Theses

This study attempted to increase the frequency of student on-task behavior in two. third grade classrooms. using live modeling and vicarious reinforcement. In a multiple baseline-counterbalanced treatments design two classrooms of students were exposed to live, peer modeling displays of on-task behavior. In one class­ room the teacher praised the model, using behaviorally specific praise while the second classroom teacher used non-specific praise. Praise conditions were later reversed. It was hypothesized that after exposure to the modeling display s a) the frequency of on-task behavior would be increased over baseline levels to a pre-determined treatment outcome , b) behaviorally specific …

The Use Of Territory As A Natural Reinforcer In The Modification Of Academic Performance And Disruptive Classroom Behaviors, Sherwin Lynnwood Davis

Master's Theses

Emphasis is currently being placed upon the use of low-cost, naturally occurring reinforcers in classroom behavior modification programs. The effectiveness of students'territorial space as a natural reinforcer for social and academic classroom behaviors was investigated. Using the multiple baseline technique, student access to territorial space was systematically manipulated in an attempt to decelerate out-of-seat behaviors and to increase the percentage of assignments completed and graded either satisfactory or excellent. Student vocalization was also monitored; it was predicted that increases in desired academic behaviors would produce reciprocal decreases in vocalization. Finally, a fading procedure was utilized to remove gross territorial markings …

Dispersal And Confinement: Strategies Of Gerrymandering In Chicago, Charles R. Catania

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Judgments Of Knowing: A Learning-To Learn Analysis, Joseph King

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Rules And Instructions, Consultant Feedback, And Teacher Self-Monitoring On Teacher And Student Behavior During Consulting And Non-Consulting Periods, Kenneth Slater Roach

Master's Theses

This study investigated the effects of rules and instructions, consultant feedback, and self-monitoring on teacher approval, disapproval, and student on-task behavior. Data was collected during a consulting period, measuring changes when the consultant was present, and during a non-consulting period, assessing whether similar changes occurred with the consultant absent. Three elementary teachers who exhibited more verbal disapproval than approval participated. On-task data was collected on three randomly selected students in each classroom. Following baseline, the teachers set classroom rules and were instructed to increase their approval and decrease disapproval. During the consulting period of the feedback phase, the consultant provided …

School Morale And Self-Esteem Involving Adolescents With Learning Disabilities, Ted E. Barrett

Master's Theses

A student's cognitive achievement may be facilitated or repressed by various elements that constitute his affective character; his feelings, attitudes, and expectations form a substantial relationship with achievement. Rather than limiting themselves to evaluating those cognitive areas that relate with various measures of achievement, the administrators and staff members at the New Community School (NCS) have specified a desire to investigate and measure both the attitudes toward school and the self held by their attending students. Within the domain of educational evaluation, greater significance is being accorded to the students' values, interests, and attitudes(Lockwood 1973). In keeping with such considerations, …

The Effect Of Non-Directive Play Therapy Upon Self-Concept In Young Children, Cheryl Hiltebeitel

Master's Theses

Establishing communication in therapy is fre uently a difficult task, and the difficulty increases when one is dealing with a young child who has not yet acquired fluid verbal skills. To facilitate the therapeutic process, it is necessary to find a oedium of communication which is both effective and comfortable for the child in that situation; "the therapeutic medium best suited for young children is play" (Ginott, 1961, p .7). Through the manifestations of a child's imagination and spontaneity, one can build a communication bridge which provides both. an unobstructed road for his self-expression and a pathway toward learning.about the …

Marriage And Suicide: Recent Trends And An Investigation Of The Possible Restraining Effects Of Dependent Children, Conrad M. Kozak

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Kasten Mound Group, Fred K. Stuebe

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Development Of The Ability To Assess Behavioral Information As A Factor Mediating Dispositional Attributions And Explanations Of Responsibility And Intentionality, Robert C. Ernest

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Modification And Interjudge Reliability Of A Tat Scoring System For Adolescents, Aaron Cooper

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Early Socio-Psychological Factors Related To The Development Level Of Catholic Priests, James J. Schroeder

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Plato's Notion Of Justice In The Republic: Its Authoritarianism Frustrates Happiness, Robert Tarsitano

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Presentation Conditions And Psychological Context: An Investigation Of List And Position Tags, Kathleen Ann Carlson

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Catholic Pentacostal Prayer Meeting: A Dramatistic Perspective On A Contemporary Religious Awakening And Ritual, Melissa Siebert

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Age, Sex, Social Class, And Ethnic Group On Social Abstract Intelligence In Middle Childhood, William Preble Bryant

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Dynamics Of Depression And Hostility: The Effect Of Delay, Attack, And Retaliation On State Measures Of Depression And Hostility With A Look At Sex And Trait Effects, Carolyn Atkinson

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Social Intelligence On The Child's Susceptibility To Televised Aggression, Mary Doheny Feczko

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Kin Relations Of The Aged: Possible Impact On Social Service Planning, Maria Siemaszko

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Korean Americans In Chicago: An Exploratory Study, Young Kim

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Educational Ability, Practice And Short Term Memory, Barbara Jean Arthur

Master's Theses

Thirty-six fourth grade students were selected and classified into one of three groups on the basis of participation in the DISTAR Reading Program, educational ability as measured by the STEA and a reading readiness factor, Each group received two tests of short term memory (STM ) involving auditory presentation and either auditory or visual recall after a retention interval of 4, 8 or 12 seconds. Analysis verified previous research in this area with respect of task difficulty, retention as a function of interval length and acoustic similarity of response errors. Neither educational ability nor practice elevated the students' performance on …

Test For A Learned Drinking Response : Support For Appetitive Preparedness, Brian L. West

Master's Theses

Seligman, Ives, Ames and Mineka (1970a) have suggested that by the nature of the stimulus-response association in appetitive states a prepared mechanism using "mild" deprivation cues exists which will activate an appetitional resolution. Pairing of a neutral stimulus with this prepared mechanism results in a conditioned stimulus capable of electing the drinking response. Contrary to this hypothesis, Mowrer (1956) posited that a water deprived state induces an emotional reaction or "thirst fear." It is assumed that reduction of this stimulus may be accomplished by means of alleviating the deprived state. A conditioned external stimulus can therefore elicit the drinking response …

The Relationship Of Resting Cardiac Activity And Locus Of Control To Impulse Control, Carol Kress Coukos

Master's Theses

The relationship between the autonomic nervous system and various personlity characteristics has become a popular area of scientific investigation with the advent of accurate means of measurement of autnomic nervous system activity. The act of measuring autonomic nervous system activity carries great clinical value. Clinicians practicing systematic desensitization use the galvanic skin resistance -as an indication of whether the stimulus in question produces too much· anxiety for the client. The clinician, of course, also relies on the client's verbal response. Measurement of galvanic skin resistance provides additional information for the clinician. The clinician can draw from more than one response, …

A Partial Test Of The Contingency Model On Adult-Led Groups Of Children, Jeffrey Wayne Jones

Master's Theses

The problem was to test the applicability of Fiedler's contingency model on 15 adult-led groups of children in a field situation. The effectiveness of high and low least preferred co-worker (LPC) leaders on structured and unstructured group tasks was investigated when leader­ member relations were good and leaders had strong power. The data were analyzed in a 2 x 2 factorial design using the analysis of variance. None of the F tests reached statistical significance, thus the model was not supported. Several possible reasons for the findings were given as well as suggestions for future research.

The Effects Of Crowding On The Dominance Behavior Of Laboratory Rats As Assessed By Three Measures Of Dominance, Barbara C. Worthington

Master's Theses

The present study was designed to assess behavioral changes in social dominance, which may accompany or be affected by short term crowding and any adrenal enlargement which may be a concomitant of crowding. To avoid methodological inaccuracy and further establish whether different measures of dominance would accrue the same results a multimethod approach suggested by Howells and Kise (1974) was employed. · Additionally sequence of test presentation was considered and both male and female subjects were used to determine if the measures differentially discriminated between the sexes.

This experiment as designed to evaluate the effects of crowding (independent variable) on …