Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Improving The Performance Of Corporate Instructional Designers, Karolyn A. Smalley

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent the job aid developed by Brethower (1968) controlled instructional designers’ behavior so that they effectively and efficiently produced performance-based learning programs. This study consisted of developing and testing two iterations of the Analysis-Design Instructional Guide (job aid). Instructional designers who used either version of the job aid were able to meet a higher percentage of general criteria for performance-based learning programs than designers who did not. In addition, they took less time to develop programs than industry norms suggest. Even though the behavior of the designers was not completely …

Effects Of Communication Apprehension, Biological Gender, And Gender Stereotypes On Non-Occasion Greeting Card Sending, Elizabeth E. Adams

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Mmpi Profiles Of Sexual Perpetrators, Steven G. Vaupel

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare MMPI scores of 60 men referred for assessment and/or counseling at community mental health facilities. No MMPI protocols were excluded due to elevated validity configurations (70T or above). Forty of the referrals were referred for suspected child sexual abuse. Twenty of the referrals admitted (Admitter) to sexually abusing a child at the time of referral and twenty did not admit (Nonadmitter) to sexually abusing a child when referred. A control group of the remaining twenty subjects were referred for various offenses, none of which included sexual offenses against children. Significant differences were …

A Review Of The Literature On Self-Care Children: A Need For Empirical Studies, Stephanie L. Perry

Masters Theses

The term "self-care child'' refers to a young child who returns from school and remains at home unsupervised for an indefinite period until the parents arrive from work, or one who is alone before school in the mornings. In this paper, the emotional functioning, social functioning, and academic performance of self-care children were compared to adult-supervised children. Also, programs designed for self-care children were examined.

When examining the current literature on the self-care child regarding loneliness, anxiety and behavior problems, susceptibility to peer pressure, sexuality, social functioning, and academic performance, no significant differences were found between self-care and adult-supervised children. …

A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Preaching Of Robert Lee Russell, Ben F. Pennington

Masters Theses

Robert Lee Russell's pulpit oratory is analyzed through a review of the literature, personal interviews and critical study of three specific sermons. The consistency of idea content and effectiveness of the preaching is evaluated according to the concepts of rhetorical analysis delineated in Nilsen's (1957) Interpretive Funnction of the Critic. Robert Russell's concepts of man [existence], ideas [knowledge], and society [values] is examined through analysis of his sermons. The results of the analysis are compared to the literature on preaching, statements from interviews with him, and comments by leaders of his congregation. It is concluded that Russell is an …

The Effects Of Laboratory Induced State Anxiety And Frustration On M, Y, Fy, And Yf Rorschach Responses, Gregory T. Eells

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between laboratory induced anxiety and frustration on m, Y, FY, and YF Rorschach responses. Forty-eight subjects, 16 male subjects and 32 female subjects, ranging in age from 19 to 43 years of age were selected for this study. All subjects were enrolled in a psychology course for the summer term of 1991 at Eastern Illinois University. Frustration was induced by erroneously telling subjects that most people could solve the Tower of Hanoi puzzle in 5 minutes then giving the subjects a 5 minute time limit. Anxiety was induced by telling …

Adolescent Suicide: Accurate Assessment Of Suicide Lethality Factors By High School Students, Susan L. Karolus

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Determinants And Incidence Of Illinois Lotto Sales, Thomas Edward Milowski

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Changes In The Black/White Income Ratio, 1939-87, Melvin Keys

Masters Theses

The Black/white income ratio (BWIR) has increased steadily from 1939-87 for families with two incomes. Early-on, the income disparity was greatest for black females compared to black males. Because of race and sex discrimination, black females were lagging far behind society in wage differences. Today, the opposite is true, black males lag far behind black females in income: compared to their white counterparts. One of the reasons for such a large reversal in income differences maybe the opportunities that were available to black females in such occupations as teaching and nursing from 1940-75.

Migration, which looks at regional composition, was …

A Comparison Of Personality Traits Of Female Interscholastic Athletes And Female Intercollegiate Athletes Involved In Basketball And Softball, Katheryn M. Myers

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to compare personality traits of female high school athletes to female collegiate athletes.

Eighty female athletes participated in the study. Forty-two of them competed at the high school level and thirty-eight participated at the college level. The high school subjects came from either Arcola, Casey/Westfield, or Charleston High School. The college athletes came from either Eastern Illinois University or Illinois State University. All athletes participated in either softball or basketball.

The Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire was administered to each of the subjects. Following Cattell's recommendations, raw scores were used for statistical analysis. Form A …

The Relationship Between Elements Of Symbolism In Drawings And Language, Sarah Lynn Williams

Masters Theses

A relationship between the development of drawing skills and overall development has been well documented. Furthermore, a relationship between language development and drawing development has been suggested by a number of research findings. The research goal of this project is the following: to determine whether there is a predictable relationship between the elements of symbolism in drawing and language development.

Twenty-six children were given a standardized language assessment and a drawing assessment. The children were divided into two groups according to age. Language scores for Group 1 included the following Test of Language Development-Primary subtests (Newcomer & Hammill, 1982): picture …

Generalization Of Promise-Do Correspondence Training With Respect To The Individual To Whom The Promise Is Made, Robert J. Latka

Masters Theses

This study used 3 subjects of normal (non-impaired) intelligence, 1 female and 2 males, between the ages of 10 and 13 years to study generalization of promise-do correspondence training effects. In a replicated AE design, contingent monetary reinforcers were used to establish promise-do correspondence in playing nonpreferred computer games. This study demonstrated that the effects of correspondence training procedures could be generalized to an alternative listener or individual to whom the promise was made. Generalization was less evident when there was no listener present. This study also provided some evidence that effects of promise-do correspondence training may not generalize to …

A Comparison Of A Topography-Based Language System And A Selection-Based Language System, Carl Sundberg

Masters Theses

This study examined whether it was easier for developmentally disabled individuals to acquire a topography-based or a selection-based language system. Four moderately and mildly mentally retarded adults served as subjects. Each of the subjects was taught to tact an object by either pointing to its corresponding symbol (with the selection-based paradigm) or making the corresponding sign (with the topography-based system). They were then taught an intraverbal relation by either selecting the symbol, or making the sign which corresponded to an auditory stimulus. Finally, the subjects were tested for the emergence of stimulus equivalence classes. Each subject was trained and tested …

An Examination Of The Irrelevance Of The Term Neoconservative As Used In American Ideological Debates, Mark C. Stanczak

Masters Theses

This study compared, by analysis of their publications, various people who are considered to be part of the neoconservative movement in the United States. A definition was developed, and a sample of neoconservatives was examined to see if they adhered to the definition. The examination centered around these people's individual views, as published, on economics and the Welfare State; the scope of government in a society; the Cold War and its effect on community; religion; and stability, the state and social justice.

The analysis of their publications leads to the conclusion that there is no cohesive movement that can be …

How Work Experience Affects Personnel Selection, Donna T. Klein

Masters Theses

The literature concerning how work experience affects personnel selection for recent college graduates is reviewed and found to be unimpressive. This present study was designed to analyze employers' perceptions of work experience when considering recent college graduates for employment. A survey consisting of three resumes was reviewed by 56 small businesses (employing 100 or fewer people). The three resumes differed with respect to one of the part-time jobs: an internship, work related to field of study, or non-related work experience. The results showed that an internship was consistently rated better at the 0.05 level over related/nonintern and non-related work experiences. …

Effect Of Therapist-Initiated Versus Self-Initiated Vestibular Stimulation On Vocalization In Children With Autism, Carol L. Maddox

Masters Theses

Therapist-initiated vestibular stimulation was compared to self-initiated stimulation to determine their relative effects on vocalization in children with autism. Vocalizations produced during table-top activities were also compared to those produced during vestibular stimulation. Two children with autism participated in the study. Vestibular stimulation was provided by a hammock swing. All vocalizations were recorded during a total of thirteen 15-minute test sessions.

Results indicated that in this study: (a) There was no significant difference in quantity of vocalizations produced during self-initiated versus therapist-initiated vestibular stimulation, and (b) there was a significant increase in vocalizations during vestibular stimulation as compared to during …

The Effects Of A Reinforcer On Behavior Maintained By A Second External Reinforcer, Jeanne Marie Lamere

Masters Theses

A number of studies has shown that providing extrinsic rewards for performing an "intrinsically interesting" task decreases an individual's subsequent interest in that task when the rewards are no longer available (e.g., Deci, 1971, 1972; Lepper, Greene, & Nisbett, 1973). Based on these results, many have argued that extrinsic rewards decrease an individual's "intrinsic motivation." A fundamental premise of this argument is that "extrinsic" and "intrinsic motivation" are functionally different, a distinction that is not supported by a behavioral analysis. This study examined whether similar subsequent decrements in task performance would be observed when a behavior is maintained by one …

Applying The Matching Law In A Sheltered Workshop, Kristin Elizabeth Skousgard

Masters Theses

This study assessed the validity of the matching law in an applied setting. It manipulated extraneous reinforcement and measured the rate of rocking in a 24-year-old developmentally disabled man. The resulting data were compared to that predicted by the matching law.

The results were important in three ways: (1) extraneous reinforcement systematically affected rocking in an applied setting in the manner predicted by the matching law, (2) a clinically undesirable behavior decreased in frequency, and (3) this decrease occurred in the absence of direct intervention on the target behavior. Thus, to a slight degree, scientific, practical and humanitarian goals were …

Research And Theory On The Housing And Care Of Laboratory Pigeons And Rats, Dylan David Schmorrow

Masters Theses

This study was an experimental analysis of: (a) housing preference of laboratory pigeons and, (b) the effects of housing on laboratory rat health. Pigeon preference between containment cages and fly cages was determined on the basis of exit time from the containment cage to the fly cage. Rat health was determined by the departmental veterinarian. The rats were exposed to traditional and alternative methods of housing.

The findings from this study indicate that (a) on the basis of pigeons' preferences concerning size, it may be more appropriate to house pigeons in fly cages; and (b) alternative methods of care and …

Of Berry Pickers, Shanty Boys, And The Jack Pine Bird: Patterns Of Settlement And Subsistence In Nineteenth Century Oscoda County, Rose Lockwood Moore

Masters Theses

The provisions of the Homestead Act of 1863 (U.S. Congress 1862a) required a settlement pattern of dispersed single families on small tracts of land, which, in turn, affected the subsistence strategies available to the homesteaders. The interaction of federal land legislation with the ecosystem of southern Oscoda County resulted in marked spatial and temporal differences between the tracts that were homesteaded as opposed to those acquired for their timber. A sample population of quarter sections was analyzed in terms of the physical and biotic environments, date of entry, and use. The analysis confirmed that the timber lands were located on …

The Acquisition Of Spelling By Developmentally Disabled Adults: An Examination Of Some Variations Of The Look-Cover-Write-Check Cycle, Mark Stafford

Masters Theses

Five developmentally disabled adults were taught to spell groups of five words using the look-over-write-check cycle, in which the subject looks at the word, covers it, writes the word, then looks at the word again to check the accuracy of spelling. Four variations of this procedure were used with each of the subjects including requiring the subjects to spell the words out loud in the "look" component. The results showed that the subjects required fewer sessions and fewer trials to spell the five words when the out loud requirement was in effect. Approximations generated as the subjects learned to spell …

Witches Every Month? The Social Construction Of Premenstrual Syndrome, Suzanne Latham

Masters Theses

Premenstrual syndrome was first reported in 1931, but it was not until the early 1980s that it received widespread attention in the medical literature and the popular press. This thesis is a sociological analysis of how physicians and others were able to define premenstrual problems as an illness. The thesis uses a phenomenological approach, referred to as social constructionism, to explore how medical researchers, physicians, pharmaceutical companies, feminists, various entrepreneurs, and others have attempted to define premenstrual problems to promote their own interests. The analytic method is documentary analysis. The thesis argues that physicians were able to make powerful claims, …

The Effects Of Performance Feedback On The Implementation Of A Statistically-Based Quality Control Program, Gordon O. Henry

Masters Theses

Although various types of performance feedback have been shown to be effective in maintaining work-related behaviors in numerous settings, most of these behaviors have consisted of fairly simple tasks. More specifically, it has not been conclusively shown that such feedback procedures can be used to maintain the worker behaviors required in the implementation o f a statistically-based quality control program. The present study attempted to show that such complex behaviors could be maintained using effective feedback procedures.

The results showed that the subjects (machine operators) performed at a high level in completing required tasks associated with a statistically-based quality control …

Blessed Be The Ties That Bind: A Critical Analysis Of The Changing Language In The Organizational Mission Statement As A Form Of Downward Communication, Jacqueline A. De Haan

Masters Theses

In this study, the differences in language between an historical and new organizational mission statement were examined. The critical interpretive perspective was utilized; grounded theory was the method used to analyze changes in values and organizational identity.

The findings from this study indicated that the changed mission statement was different from the historical mission statement in three ways: in values and identity, in structure, and in use of voice. The findings were discussed and implications for organizational members considered.

Ethnography Of A Lesbian Community In Michigan, Carol W. Burton

Masters Theses

The purpose of this master's thesis is to describe the structure and workings of a community of women in a major western Michigan metropolitan area, who identify themselves as lesbians, and to describe how this subcommunity relates to the dominant American culture in the area. This study examines the ways in which these lesbians define themselves and their subculture.

To facilitate this research, the researcher participated in the group's meetings, both formal and informal, and spoke with individual members about the history of the group, organizational principles, problems and concerns, formal and Informal rules of conduct, values, and any other …

Impact Of Group Process Techniques On Group Cohesiveness, Jeri Lee Meola

Masters Theses

Thirty-three students at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo participated in the study and were divided into seven groups. The results of the Gross Cohesiveness Scale (Gross, 1957) showed two of the seven groups scored within the accepted range of cohesiveness. No significant differences in cohesiveness were found between the groups. Data were also collected on a 3 Factor Cohesiveness Questionnaire. The factors of compatibility and leadership related to group cohesiveness for groups exposed to group process techniques, but no factors related to group cohesiveness for groups who were not exposed to group process techniques. It is suggested that component analysis research …

Analysis Of Guatemalan Textiles, Cristina Keiko Tomita

Masters Theses

This study applies John L. Fischer's (1961) hypothesis that design elements reflect certain social variables to 50 Guatemalan textiles from the collection of the Field Museum of Chicago, to test its applicability. The results of the analysis were consistent with expectations, but some modifications to the original hypothesis are suggested to minimize ambiguities. The modified analysis can be applied in areas such as archaeology, art history and museum work to expand the interpretative potential of material objects, including works of art.

A Historical-Rhetorical Analysis Of The 1980/1984 Campaign Rhetoric Of Ronald Reagan, Mark A. Herman

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Use Of Quasi-Words In Normal Phonological Development, Shelly Genseal Roat

Masters Theses

This study examined the use of quasi-words in eight normally developing infants from eight-and-one-half months to ten-and-one-half months . The infants were video-taped for thirty minutes once a week for 16 consecutive weeks . Spontaneous utterances were transcribed and categorized as babbling, quasi-words, or true words . Utterances were additionally analyzed to determine phonetic inventories, dominant place and manner, and syllable shapes.

Results revealed the use of quasi-words by all subjects . Further analysis revealed that subjects utilized two types of quasi-words, primitive quasi-words and complex quasi-words. Results revealed a correlation between complex quasi-words and true-words . Results further revealed …

Application Of Zero-Base Budgeting In The Learning Resource Center, Javad Raiesdana

Masters Theses

Budgeting is a statement of the organizational goals and objectives in monetary terms. Traditionally, budgets have been developed by adding to the previous year's budget as a base (at least in theory), but rather to start from a zero base and requires a justification of all expenditures. This method of budgeting assumes that each years's budget requests are built up from zero in response to the priorities and needs of that year.

The range of opinion about zero-base budgeting is broad. Some critics regard it to be of great value while others feel that it is inadequate. The purpose of …