Psychology Commons^™

Structure Vs. Meaning In Subliminal Perception, Margaret Anne Callan Hoisington

Dissertations and Theses

Subliminal perception is defined as a process whereby a subject reports no awareness of a visual stimulus, and yet his/her verbal behavior, subjectively experienced as “guesses”, is influenced by the stimulation. Various studies have found evidence for and against subliminal perception using discrimination tasks and subjective judgments. Explanations of subliminal perception include the partial cue hypothesis, the theory of perception of structural differences, and the theory that responses to subliminal stimuli are of a semantic nature.

This study was conducted to determine whether subliminal perception involves a discrimination of structural characteristics or a discrimination of the semantic quality of words …

Meaning Formation, Gail F. Czukar

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

An attempt was made to demonstrate laboratory conditions in which experiential components of meaning (i.e. perceptual and emotional correlates of observable stimuli and responses) pattern to form a gestalt. Semantic differential scales were used to measure the meaning of simple visual figures in two phases of the experiment. The first phase consisted of a pre- and post-exposure measurement of meaning with an intervening exposure to a compound visual display. In the second phase, subjects were exposed to an altered visual display and then rated the stimuli again.

Results do not support the predictions that (1) the meaning of the central …

The Correlation Between Specific Curiosity And Intelligence In Adults, Charles R. Schwenk

Dissertations and Theses

Previous studies done on the correlation between specific curiosity and intelligence have been inconclusive. In the present study, a test of state specific curiosity and a test of intelligence were administered to 76 Ss from two introductory psychology courses. Three hypotheses were tested. These were, (a) that a significant specific curiosity-intelligence correlation would exist, (b) that the specific curiosity-verbal subscale correlation would be higher than the specific curiosity-abstraction sub-scale correlation, and (c) that there would be a sex difference in the specific curiosity-intelligence correlations. The data did not support hypothesis (a) or (b). However, they did support hypothesis (c). …

Impact Of College Speech Classes On Listening Skills Of Students, Candice Piazza

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of college speech classes upon developing improved listening skills. More specifically it sought to determine the extent to which the students who took Speech 100 or 111 have acquired listening skills.

There has been considerable theorizing concerning listening and auding with only a scattering of experimentation. According to existing data, listening would appear to be a complex human behavior that is only partially understood. There are, however definite listener functions, listening conditions and variables that affect listening. Aspects of attention are also important when considering the occurrence or unoccurrence of …

A Study On The Simultaneous Transmission Of Incongruent Information, Dennis Keith Smeltzer

Masters Theses

No abstract provided by author.

The Application Of Information Theory To A Single Visual Search Task, Charles F. Gidcumb

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Age, I.Q. And Achievement On Children's Ability To Reverse The Necker Cube, Johnny Lee Matson

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Field Dependence And Field Independence On A Series Of Inverted Field Tasks, David R. Murphy

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study Into The Effects Of Knowledge Of Peer Group Evaluation Upon Self-Concept Change, Janice Marie Beyer

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Cross-Class Survey Of Synaesthesia In High School Students And Its Biocultural Implications, Ina Jane Wundram

Dissertations and Theses

It has been suggested in the literature that Synaesthesia, as an expression of syncretic thought, would be more common in non-Western than in Western cultures. Given the lack of availability of widely divergent cultural groups and the general lack of knowledge about the phenomenon, it was decided to study the possibility that synaesthesia in our society might be related to socio-economic class. A group of high school students from a broad range of socio-economic backgrounds was studied, and the results suggest that the occurrence of synaesthesia is not related to class. In addition, it was found that 50% of the …

An Examination Of Sampling Strategies In Concept Identification, Gary B. Gentry

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Adult humans make choices in concept identification problems which are determined by the particular strategies which they adopt at the time. In such problems, every presentation of a rnultidimensional concept, such as a stimulus which varies in form, color and shape, is referred to as an "instance". Described two general approaches which Ss take in learning a concept. The wholist strategy involves using all of the attributes of a concept as a working hypothesis. As successive instances are presented, the S gradually eliminates the irrelevant attributes. Another approach to discrimination learning may be referred to as the partist strategy. In …

The Relationship Between Self Concept And The Draw-A-Person Test, William Maurice Schaefer

Masters Theses

This study sought to expand a study by Kamano (1960) to a normal population. In that work, Kamano used the D.A.P. in conjunction with the Semantic Differential. He concluded that the Ss (schizophrenics) analyzed their drawings consistent with their own self concepts. In the present study the relation between Ss ratings of the D.A.P., their self concept, and judges ratings of the drawings were sought. It was predicted that the Ss would rate themselves and the Drawings similarly. This prediction was upheld for the Potency factor. There was interjudge reliability for this factor, but the prediction that there would be …

Attitudes Toward The War In Viet Nam: A Population Study, Ralph George O'Sullivan

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Intradimensional Variability With Numbers And Alphabetical Letters In Conceptual Rules, Thomas Henry Clayton

All Master's Theses

Subjects were assigned to bidimensional rule problems that contained either 5, 10, or 15 levels of intradimensional variability. The stimuli consisted of numbers and alphabetical letters. There were no performance differences by either males or females when the number of levels within each rule was increased. There was a significant difference in performance among the three rules (disjunctive, conditional, and biconditional), however, the conditional was more difficult than the biconditional which is inconsistent with earlier research.

The Effects Of Truth Table Pretraining And Intradimensional Variability On Rule Learning And Attribute Identification Tasks, Eric S. Gebelein

All Master's Theses

Ss were required to sort geometrical patterns into positive or negative instances. According to (a) an attribute identification problem (wherein one of three conceptual rules was given: Disjunctive, Conditional, or Biconditional) or (b) Rule learning problem (wherein the two relevant attributes were given: either yellow, triangle or blue, circle). Intradimensional variability for each condition was either five, seven, or nine levels. The Rule effect was the only significant source of variance even though performance did worsen as intradimensional variability was increased.

False Physiological Feedback And Acceptance Of A High Fear Message, Michael T. Gray

All Master's Theses

This paper presents an attempt to differentiate between the drive reduction and parallel response theories as explanations of results obtained in fear communication research.

Forty-eight subjects were divided into four equal groups and while listening to a high fear message, three groups received false GSR feedback. The fourth group (control) received no feedback. The results failed to differentiate between the two theoretical models and also failed to support findings of an earlier study which used similar feedback techniques.

It was concluded that further research using false feedback techniques needs to be done.

A Comparison Of Verbal And Geometric Stimuli In Concept Learning, Robert William Greenway

All Master's Theses

Subjects classified stimulus patterns into positive or negative instances of the concept according to either an attribute identification (AI) problem or a rule learning (RL) problem. Four types of stimulus materials were used: verbal stimuli (V), geometric stimuli (G), or two combinations of these modes, verbal geometric (VG) or verbal colored (VC). The only main effects that were significant were the Type of rule and Type of problem. Some interactions were obtained between these factors and the stimulus mode employed.

Experimenter Bias Effect At Varying Levels Of Motivation, Leslie Marie Slade Gray

All Master's Theses

This study examined the effects of experimenter motivation upon the experimenter bias effect on a person perception task. It was hypothesized that the experimenter bias effect would decrease as reward and threat of punishment increased.

Thirty-five experimenters were randomly assigned to five treatment groups including a control group, two reward groups, and two punishment conditions. Each experimenter administered the photo task to two subjects. The results failed to support the experimental hypotheses.

Ames Trapezoid Illusion: A New Model, Daniel Robert Kelly

Dissertations and Theses

Current explanations for the Ames Trapezoid Illusion are based upon the the absence of cues: the illusion is said to occur at chance. A review of recent literature showed that: (a) the illusion varies in frequency as a function of target shape (b) that the dominant cue to reduce the frequency of the illusion is the variant in retinal height. Based upon the dominance of this cue a new model was presented. Following this model it was hypothesized that observers viewing partial rotation when the target produces the greatest difference in the retinal height of the ends would determine the …

A Comparison Of The Perceptual And Motor Abilities Of Learning Disabled And Normal Students At Ages Eleven And Twelve, Rachel Adams Thompson

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

No abstract.

Effects Of Volition And Justification On The Arousal Of Dissonance During Performance Of A Dull Task, George Roger Schoenhals

All Master's Theses

The present study seeks to add a modest degree of clarification to the present condition of dissonance theory. More specifically, its main purpose is to help define certain conditions for the arousal of cognitive dissonance.

Schedule Interactions And Stimulus Control, Andrew Louis Homer

Dissertations and Theses

Four types of schedule interactions have been defined: positive contrast, negative contrast, positive induction, and negative induction. Most work has centered on the necessary conditions for positive contrast. One position states that a reduction in reinforcement frequency is necessary; the other view states that a reduction in response rate is necessary. Neither view can account for the occurrence of induction. The present experiment tests the hypothesis that stimulus control effects the occurrence of either contrast or induction. Three pigeons were trained to respond for primary reinforcement (strong stimulus control condition), and three pigeons were trained to respond for conditioned reinforcement …

An Investigation Into The Incidence Of Psychogenic Factors Underlying The Temporomandibular Joint Pain/Dysfunction Syndrome, Ernest William Small

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

No abstract.

The Effects Of Motivation Level And Task Difficulty On Performance On A Vigilance Task, Donald C. Johnston

All Master's Theses

Although many variables affecting vigilance behavior have been identified, there has not been substantial agreement on the importance of these variables as contributors either to performance decrements often found in laboratory research or to performance levels in industrial inspection tasks. Two variables of presumed importance are level of motivation and task difficulty. The purpose of the present experiment was to assess the main and interactive effects of these variables on performance on a task which approximated more closely an industrial inspection task than have the bulk of traditional vigilance studies.

An Attempt To Manipulate The Results Of A Psychomotor Learning Task, Robert D. Cable

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Difference In Short-Term Memory Between Seventh Grade Students Rated High And Low In The Ability To Acquire Sport Skills, Vera Jeppesen Watkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated the possibility that the short-term memory factor may be one of the variables involved in the learning of motor skills.

The subjects of the study were all of the seventh grade gym students at Logan Junior High School who were rated by their teachers as being in the upper or lower one-fourth of their class in respect to their abilities in sport skills. After a short-term memory (STM) test developed by the researcher was administered to this group, their scores were compared to determine whether there was a significant difference between the upper and lower one-fourth.

An …

Molecular Transfer Of Acquired Discrimination By Proteinaceous Extract, Robert L. Sayre

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Early investigators of the molecular basis of memory suggested a unique function for the nucleic acids in learning and memory, with base changes in RNA being the most popular mechanism in representing memory for experiential events. Subsequent research has led to the hypothesis that RNA is intermediary in the general action of cells, but some researchers continue to think of RNA as providing a unique contribution during learning.

Concept Identification As A Function Of Three Semantic Dimensions, Richard Eugene Edwards

All Master's Theses

It is the purpose of the present study to determine the differential effects of the three primary semantic dimensions on the ability of Ss to solve a concept identification problem. It was hypothesized that the performance level, as measured by a criterion of learning ten successive responses containing no more than one error, time to completion, and the total number of errors, will be higher for Ss working on the evaluative dimension than for Ss working on the potency or activity dimensions. Two additional hypotheses were formulated in an attempt to answer the following questions: 1) Is the ability to …

The Effect Of Dominance Level When Using Mediated Generalization To Facilitate Concept Formation, Delbert Smith Mchenry

All Master's Theses

This investigation was concerned with demonstrating differences in order of concept attainment as a function of the degree of association between a concept instance and concept response, using mediated generalization.

A Statistical Analysis Of The Relationship Between Outline Form Perception And School Achievement At The First Grade Level, John Hooker Sutherland

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

No abstract.