Psychology Commons^™

Death Anxiety Among Older Adults As A Function Of The Christian Faith With Specific Reference To The Experience Of Being "Born Again", Wendy E. Holland

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Sixty male and female subjects between the ages of 60 to 84 years were administered three questionnaires concerning death anxiety, religiosity, and life satisfaction. Data were collected and analyzed by Pearson r correlation as well as by multiple regression analysis.

Findings included those subjects considering themselves to be "born again" Christians scored significantly lower on the death anxiety scale than did those respondents considering themselves Christian, but not "born again." Subjects considering themselves to be non-Christian/Other did not correlate significantly with death anxiety. Life satisfaction was not a significant predictor of death anxiety. Subjects indicating more conservative/fundamentalist denominational affiliations indicated …

Children's Attributional Style And Length Of Stay In An Alternative Education Program, William E. Pinnell

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has linked attributional style in children to self-esteem, loneliness, depression, general distress, and reading persistence to the learning disabled. The current study sough to determine if specific attributional styles in children were correlated with their length of stay in a behaviorally based Alternative Education program. Sixty-two first-grade through sixth-grade children were recruited from two Alternative Education campuses in Polk County, Florida. They each completed two administrations of the Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire (CASQ), separated by a two-week interval, and one administration of the performance Expectation Questionnaire, (PEQ), which assessed the children's expectation of their ability to perform tasks …

Cognitive And Social Desirability Factors In Marital Adjustment For A Sample Of Retired Older Adults, Priscilla B. Wilson

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated cognitive components of marital adjustment and the role of social desirability response sets in a sample of retired older adults. It was hypothesized that higher marital adjustment scores would correlate negatively with dysfunctional beliefs concerning marriage. The objectives of the study were to identify which irrational beliefs are related to higher and lower levels of marital adjustment, and to determine the extent to which higher adjustment scores reflect the tendency to respond in a socially desirable manner. The sample consisted of 45 married couples, each partner of which was retired and aged 65 years or older. Assessment …

An Evaluation Of A Parent Sex Education Program, Janice Devlin

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Sex education during childhood and adolescence is much more than a "birds and bees" discussion between a mother and a daughter or a seventh-grade science unit on human reproduction. It is, rather, a pervasive experience involving children's everyday interactions with friends, family, and their wider social environments. Elizabeth Roberts (1980) has developed a framework for understanding sexuality that emphasizes the broad-based nature of sexual learning. She focuses on six dimensions of sexuality which are socially learned: gender role, affection and intimacy, family roles and social life styles, body image, erotic experiences, and reproduction. The role of the family in each …

Effects Of Volunteer Activity On Psychosocial Adjustment Among The Elderly, William R. Criss

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This research was carried out to determine if psychosocial adjustment improves for elderly persons engaged in volunteer activity. Questionnaires were completed by 27 persons aged 60 or over before and two months after beginning volunteer activity at one of 33 Florida community hospitals. A control group of 37 persons without hospital volunteer experience also completed these two questionnaires, which covered several aspects of psychosocial adjustment, including self-esteem, life satisfaction, sense of control, optimism, anxiety, depression and somatization. An analysis of covariance with repeated measures indicated that there was no significant improvement in subjective well-being associated with volunteer activity after accounting …

Moral Development, Socioeconomic Status, And Family Intactness: Status Offenders Versus Criminal Offenders, Michael A. Glynn

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the possible differences between the two legally defined groups of juvenile delinquents (status offenders and criminal offenders) on the variables of moral development, socioeconomic status, and family intactness. Moral development was measured using Gibbs' Sociomoral Reflection Measure. Socioeconomic status was determined by the subject's parent's ranking on Nam's Occupational Status Score Index, and family intactness or non-intactness was determined from an examination of court records. The subjects were 106 males between the ages of 13 and 17 inclusive, and were evenly divided in the two legal categories. No significant differences were found between the two groups on …

Finding Clinical Internships In Rural Settings: A Survey And Report, Jefferson A. Singer, Steven Heyman

Psychology Faculty Publications

Summarizes survey of American Psychological Association accredited clinical internships to determine extent of involvement with rural clients and opportunities for rural clinical/community work. Tables include list and brief description of 19 clinical internship programs with rural placements and 28 names and addresses for clinical internships with rural components.

Attributions For Violence In Relationships: Do Battered Women Blame Themselves?, Debra Down

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The central purpose of this research was to compare attributions of blame for spousal violence made by women who were in violent relationships with those of abused women who had sought shelter and those of women who had never been abused. Both clinicians and researchers (e.g., Frieze, 1979; Walker, 1979) have included victims of marital abuse among victims who self-blame, and have contended that self-blame contributes to remaining in an abusive relationship. Previous work, however, has not considered the repetitive nature of spouse abuse, and has routinely confounded self-causality with self-blame.

Nonabused women and abused women who remained in relationships …

Piaget And Parables Assimilated: A Response To Cole, James D. Foster, Glenn T. Moran

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

Dick T. Cole's critique of our integration of Piagetian learning theory and Christ's parabolic method focuses on two primary concerns. The first concern is that the Bible should not be used as data, and the second that current psychological concepts cannot be meaningfully related to biblical times. In response to these concerns it is argued that the parables are recorded lessons and not theological concepts as Cole suggests, that the underlying structure of biblical lessons is relevant to modem learning theory, and that cultural specificity does not hinder the learning process but rather is an essential part of it.

Dietary Characteristics Of Hyperactive And Control Boys, Mark L. Wolraich, Phyllis J. Stumbo, Richard Milich, Catherine Chenard, Frederick Schultz

Psychology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between dietary habits and behavioral problems in hyperactive boys and to determine how successful parents are in maintaining their children on sugar-free diets. The mothers of 32 hyperactive boys aged 7 to 12 years and 26 matched controls completed 3-day diet records and food frequency interviews. The hyperactive boys were also evaluated in a playroom for impulsivity, compliance, attention, motor activity, memory, and learning. No differences were found in any of the measures of dietary content between the hyperactive and control groups. The only significant differences between those two groups …

0434: Owen Clinic Institute Papers, 1948-1975, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

Owen Clinic Institute in Huntington, West Virginia was a mental health facility operated by Dr. Stemmerman and Dr. Thelma V. Owen. Collection contains 14 volumes of `Longview,' a newsletter written by patients 1948-1962. Three scrapbooks relate to the West Virginia Mental Health Association and its efforts to improve care for mental health patients in the state.

Recent Life Events And Subsequent Reports Of Illness In An Undergraduate Population: An Examination Of Hardiness, Daniel James Bruining

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

A Biblical View Of Psychology: A Commentary, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Frequency & Source Of Feedback On Performance Under Goal-Setting Conditions, David Campshure

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Feedback and goal setting are both necessary for either to have an effect on performance (Erez, 1977). In the present study two attributes of feedback, frequency and source, were manipulated under goal-setting conditions to examine their effects on performance. It is generally assumed that performance can be enhanced by providing individuals with frequent feedback and by providing them with feedback that originates from a source close to themselves--that is, feedback from the task itself or self-administered feedback. A third variable of interest, subjects' perceived control over the task, was assessed via questionnaires.

Subjects worked on a problem-solving task. Each subject …

Effects Of A Rational-Emotive Therapy Program On The Irrational Beliefs Of Inpatient Alcoholics, Gary Lee Greven

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) program in altering the irrational beliefs and locus-of-control (LOC) of inpatient alcoholics. The variables evaluated for change within treatment and between treatments were ten irrational beliefs as measured by the Irrational Beliefs Test (Jones, 1969) and locus-of-control as measured by the InternalExternal Locus of Control Scale (Rot~er, 1966). The sample consisted of 60 male volunteers from two Veterans Administration Medical Centers (VAMC) alcohol treatment programs. Thirty volunteers from the Danville, Illinois, VAMC served as the RET treatment group and 30 volunteers from the Marion, …

Anisms Underlying Improvement Of Peripheral Visual Processing In Older Adults, David Ball

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The aim of this project was to examine the effects of perceptual learning, or practice, on the vision of older adults. Previous findings had indicated that older adults have restricted functional visual fields, but that practice in detecting peripheral targets can substantially improve their performance. Two possible explanations for poorer performance in the older age groups were examined: 1) slowed speed of central perceptual processing and 2) attentional deficit problems. Six observers in each of three age groups were tested and trained in performing a peripheral localization task while performing a concurrent central task. A progressive loss in the functional …

The Effects Of A Professional Disclosure Statement On Aspects Of The Counseling Process, Martha Dennis Christiansen

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The effect of a counselor-introduced professional disclosure statement on aspects of the initial counseling process was investigated through a professional disclosure procedure which was comoared with a no treatment control condition. The four dependent variables studied included: clients' attitude toward counseling; clients' perceptions of the client-counselor relationship; clients' perceptions of counselor expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness; and clients' knowledge about counseling. The professional disclosure procedure consisted of a verbal and written presentation of the counselor's unique professional disclosure statement during the last 10 minutes of the initial counseling interview. The professional disclosure statement provided the following information: brief biographical data and …

The Effect Of Calcium On Learned Helplessness And Associated Neurotransmitter Change, Kamyar Arasteh

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Effects of elevated calcium on learned helplessness in rats was tested by maintaining animals on either distilled water or water containing 2.5 percent calcium. Animals that were maintained on drinking water containing high calcium showed elevated levels of brain and serum calcium. Rats that were on high calcium drinking water showed longer escape latencies than their non-calcium counterparts after they were pretreated with inescapable electric shocks. Lower levels of 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid associated with the state of "depression" were found in the forebrain and brainstem of these animals. Therefore, elevated levels of calcium enhance learned helplessness and decrease brain serotonin turnover. …

Psychological Responses Of Fathers And Mothers To Amniocentesis, Nancy D. Williamson

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Amniocentesis is one of the most widely used prenatal diagnostic techniques for congenital disorders. It was hypothesized that the psychological responses of mothers and fathers to amniocenthesis during high-risk pregnancies would be positively correlated on scales of Symptomatology (Anxiety, Depression, Anger, and Somatic Complaints) and Well-Being (Relaxed, Contented, Friendliness, and Somatic Well-Being). It was also hypothesized that Symptomatology would be negatively correlated with Well-Being. Nineteen couples, who were referred by their physicians, voluntarily participated in the study. Each partner completed the Symptom Questionnaire (Kellner, 1983), a self-rating scale of Symptomatology and Well-Being, in addition to the Pre-Amniocentesis and Post-Amniocentesis Questionnaires …

Written Precounseling Training Versus Videotaped Precounseling Training Of Clients For Counseling, Ross M. Stewart

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to compare the effects of two precounseling training processes for facilitating the client-counselor relationship and client self-exploration. One group of subjects was exposed to a videotaped presentation of a simulated initial counseling session which demonstrated desirable client and counselor behavior. A second group of subjects read a document which closely matched the content of the videotaped session. Subjects went immediately into a session with their assigned counselor. The dependent variables investigated in this study were: (1) perceived client-counselor relationship as measured by the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory, and (2) client self-exploration as measured by the Helpee Self-Exploration …

The Comparison Of General And Specific Videotape Pretraining On Selected Process And Outcome Variables In Counseling, John David Hughes

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the efficacy of a professional self-disclosure statement as a pretraining treatment of role induction in counseling. Two videotape models of pretraining for first-time clients were compared with a notreatment control condition. The eight dependent variables investigated included six of client expectation: client attitudes and behaviors, client characteristics, counselor characteristics, characteristics of process, counselor attitudes and behaviors, and the quality of outcome; one of state anxiety; and one of continuance in counseling. The counselor-specific client role induction consisted of a professional self-disclosure statement discussing purpose and expectations of counseling, confidentiality, and counselor training. The general pretraining treatment consisted …

The Relationship Between Rating Strategy And Accuracy Of Performance Rating, Richard Carter

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Given the recent theoretical emphasis on the process of performance rating (e.g., Landy & Farr, 1980), a test of the suggestion that better raters may use different rating processes than poorer raters was implemented. Specifically, this study was designed to determine if more accurate raters use a systematically different rating strategy than less accurate raters. Accuracy, the proximity of a rating to the ratee’s true score, was operationalized by differential accuracy (Cronbach, 1955), while rating strategies were determined through a policy capturing method (e.g., Zedeck & Kafry, 1977).

Seventh-three subjects rated a series of videotapes, developed by Borman (e.g. Borman, …

Empirical Correlates Of The Spiritual Well-Being And Spiritual Maturity Scales, Rodger K. Bufford

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

No abstract provided.

Anxiety, Sex-Role Orientation, And Computer Interaction, Mary Donlin-Senne

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

A group of 125 female college students were given Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory and Bem's Sex Role Inventory. Those females with minimal typing skills and minimal computer experience interacted with a computer ten minutes and then given a second State Anxiety Inventory. Pretest and posttest data were obtained from forty-eight subjects selected on the basis of Bem's Sex Role Inventory to test the hypotheses: females that score high on the Androgynous scale of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) will experience relatively low levels of anxiety while interacting with computer, females that score high on the Feminine and Undifferentiated scales …

Effects Of Classroom Setting On Self-Esteem In Learning Disabled Students, Drema G. Moody

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the self-esteem of learning disabled students required to attend learning disabilities classes. Subjects were 35 7th- through 9th-grade, male and female learning disabled (LD) students. Nineteen of the subjects attended at least one resource LD class while the other 16 subjects attended mainstream classes. These groups were matched on intelligence quotients (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised) and reading comprehension standard scores (Peabody Individual Achievement Test) so that no significant differences between the groups, on these measures, existed. The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (Fitts, 1965) was administered to all subjects, along with the closing question, "Does attendance in learning …

Love In The Eighties: A Test Of The Socioeconomic Theory, Loretta L. Givens

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Critical Note On The Usefulness Of Attention Deficit As A Clinical Syndrome, David Shaffer, Irvin Sam Schonfeld

Publications and Research

Parental ratings of overactivity are unrelated to teachers' ratings of overactivity or to laboratory measures of inattention. Teachers' ratings of overactivity correlate strongly with teachers' ratings of inattention as well as to laboratory measures of inattention. Teachers' ratings of inattention, however, are unrelated to laboratory measures of inattention when IQ is controlled. There are considerable definitional problems relating to the symptoms of hyperactivity and inattention, making it difficult create a behavioral definition of the psychiatric syndrome of attention deficit disorder.

Depth Of Process Involvement As A Function Of Structure In Training Groups, David H. Broome

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Lethality Assessment Analogue: A Behavioral Measure For Evaluating The Suicide Intervention Competency Of Crisis Hotline Volunteers, Amparo A. Pita

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The need for behavioral evaluations of volunteers performing hotline crisis work led to the development of the Lethality Assessment (LA) Analogue. This measure is designed to evaluate the competence of hotline volunteers in performing the specific crisis intervention skill of Lethality Assessment. This skill is the ability of the volunteers to assess suicide risk in a caller. The specific procedures used in the development of the LA Analogue and preliminary validation data on its use are reported. The development stages of the LA Analogue were following: (a) operationally defining the skill to be assessed, (b) the formulation of a case …

A Study Of The Effects Of Fishbowl Group Structures On The Verbal Self-Disclosure And Feedback Of Graduate Clinical Psychology Students Participating In A Systematic Human Relations Training Laboratory, Dana R. Taylor

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.