Psychology Commons^™

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 …

Blocking Of Acquisition But Not Expression Of Conditioned Fear-Potentiated Startle By Nmda Antagonists In The Amygdala, Mindy Miserendino, Catherine B. Sananes, Kathleen R. Melia, Michael Davis

Psychology Faculty Publications

Assessed the role of N-methyl-{d}-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in the amygdala in associative fear conditioning. 132 rats were implanted with cannulae aimed at the basolateral amygdaloid nuclei, while 13 controls had cannulae aimed at the interpositus nuclei of the cerebellum. NMDA antagonists infused into the amygdala blocked the acquisition, but not the expression, of fear conditioning measured with a behavioral assay mediated by a defined neural circuit (fear-potentiation of the acoustic startle reflex). This effect showed anatomical and pharmacological specificity, and was not attributable to reduced salience of the stimuli of light or shock used in training. An NMDA-dependent process in …

The Effects Of Monthly Expenses On Worker Choice Of The Percent Age Of Incentive Pay To Expected Total Pay: A Simulation, Shezeen Oah

Masters Theses

Because studies that examine factors that affect worker preference for different pay systems are difficult to conduct in the workplace, the feasibility of using a laboratory simulation was assessed. The dependent variable was subject choice of the percentage of incentive pay to total pay. The independent variable was the percentage of monthly expenses to monthly income. The higher the incentive percentage the greater the potential earnings, but the greater the variability of pay and the probability that subjects would be unable to pay expenses. Work performance was simulated by the roll of a die. Thirty college students worked in groups …

Religious Commitment As A Predictor Of Health Behavior And Health Status In A Selected Population, Donald George King

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Religious beliefs and behaviors are multidimensional and they profoundly determine the ways we respond to health and illness, suffering and death. Researchers have designed numerous scales to measure different dimensions of religious commitment, beliefs and behaviors. A thorough review of the literature has shown general relationships between religion and health, but no researcher has developed an instrument measuring dimensions of religious commitment specifically relevant to health behaviors.

In this study, scale items were developed to measure three dimensions of religious beliefs thought by Kenneth Vaux (1976) to be related to health behavior--purity of life, peace in existence, and belief in …

Effects Of Age On Motor Preparation And Restructuring, Paul Amrhein, Noreen Goggin, George Stelmach

Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Age-related decrements in motor plan restructuring were investigated. In this experiment, older and younger adults performed a discrete aiming task that involved responses that were precued and responses that were modified at the time of an imperative signal. On 75% of the trials, the precue specified the response-stimulus (valid trials) with respect to the movement parameters of the arm (left or right) and direction (toward or away). On the remaining 25% of the trials, the response-stimulus was different from the precue (invalid trials) in that the subject was required to modify a planned movement by changing the arm to be …

The Role Of Volition In Exercise Behavior, Mary L. Digangi

Dissertations

Problem. Many theorists have long pondered the ability of human beings to self-determine or to demonstrate volition. Researchers in the human-studies field have been unable to demonstrate empirically the volitional components in human behavior due to the limitations of traditional, scientific methodologies. This study shows how volitional research could be conducted in the context of exercise behavior.

Method. Thirty-five individuals were recruited who wished to increase exercise behavior in their lifestyles. The study ran for 112 consecutive days and was conducted in four phases: baseline, simple volition, volition-plus, and maintenance. In the two volitional conditions, subjects tried to exercise as …

Creationist Resistance To Evolution: The Patriarchal Unconscious As The Key, Ladelle Mcwhorter, Robert B. Graber

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Enlightened scientists and educators everywhere lament the persistence of disbelief in the process of evolution through natural selection, but they have done little to illuminate the psychological basis of this resistance. This neglect unfortunately applies even to psychoanalytic commentators, who, while uncovering oedipal elements in evolutionism, have remained silent about creationism. We believe, however, that psychoanalysis has much to offer toward a solution of the problem of creationism's persistence. In particular, we propose that evolutionary theory stirs a profound fear, rooted in the psychosexual developmental processes characterizing human society thus far, of female power.

Variables Which Discriminate Successful Versus Unsuccessful Placement Of Adolescents In An Open Residential Treatment Program, Teresa Gayle Turner

Dissertations

Problem. Little information exists that clarifies what type of adolescent in need of out-of-home care is appropriate for open residential treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify variables that discriminate between those adolescents who complete and those who fail to complete an open residential treatment program.

Method. Information on 208 adolescents placed at the Family and Children's Center Residential Treatment Program was obtained on 36 independent variables. The variables covered demographic and family characteristics, behavior problems prior to placement, and academic/intellectual functioning. Descriptive statistics were cited; five groups of variables (models) were analyzed by discriminant analysis.

Results. …

The Development Of A Personalized Computer Assisted School Psychology (Casp) System, Patricia Lou Steinert

Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to develop a model computer system to assist school psychologists in managing and manipulating data accumulated in the course of accomplishing their professional responsibilities. School psychologists have traditionally generated large amounts of data, but rarely have they looked across these data to obtain information and/or feedback about their own functioning relative to their professional role. The system described is intended as a model from which an individual psychologist might construct a system to meet individual needs. Data across students were accumulated in four broad areas: (1) personal effectiveness/accountability, (2) diagnosis, (3) local test norms, …

The Effects Of Irrelevant Dimensions On The Predictive Value Of A Warning Signal, Ruth Justine Arnegard

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Past research has neglected irrelevant dimensions of visual warning signals in choice reaction-time tasks. The present study examined the effects of an irrelevant dimension of a visual warning signal and that signal's value in predicting a response stimulus on choice reaction time. A warning signal, which was a geometric figure, appeared in the center of a VDT screen and was followed by one of two response stimuli (open circles). The predictive value of the warning signal was defined as the percentage of trials during which the warning signal accurately predicted the response stimulus by size and was manipulated in the …

Self-Control In Mentally Retarded Adolescents: Choice As A Function Of Amount And Delay Of Reinforcement, Steven P. Ragotzy

Dissertations

Three severely mentally retarded adolescents were studied under discrete-trial procedures in which a choice was arranged between edible reinforcers that differed in magnitude and, in some conditions, delay. In the absence of delays, the larger reinforcer was consistently chosen. All subjects directed the majority of choice responses to the smaller reinforcer when the larger reinforcer was sufficiently delayed, although the value at which this occurred differed across subjects. Under conditions where the larger reinforcer initially was sufficiently delayed to result in preference for the smaller one, progressively increasing in 5-s increments the delay to both reinforcers increased percent trials with …

The Effects Of Spouse-Based Cognitive-Behavior Therapy On The Treatment Of Agoraphobia, Joan Woods

Dissertations

The purpose of this clinical research was to determine whether spouse-supported treatment of agoraphobia would result in greater improvement on measures of exposure and avoidance than would individual treatment or no treatment. It was hypothesized that Couples Treatment subjects would demonstrate a significantly greater change from pretest to posttest than would Individual Treatment subjects or No-Treatment Control subjects. The study further predicted that significant improvements would be demonstrated for both treated groups on the same outcome measures, pretest to posttest and from pretest to follow-up.

Total N was 10 subjects, all were agoraphobic, married, and female, with 4 in Couples …

Effects Of Terminal-Link Response Topography On Choice Behavior Under Concurrent-Chains Schedules, Stephen P. Starin

Dissertations

Previous research has indicated that both absolute response rate and choice behavior differs under concurrent chains requiring different terminal-link responses, even when the reinforcement schedules are nominally identical. To date, no studies have investigated responding under concurrent chains with unequal schedules and different topographies arranged in the terminal links. Moreover, although the delay-reduction hypothesis has been widely tested using concurrent chains in which the same response topography is required in all links, the generality of the delay-reduction hypothesis in describing performance when different terminal-link topographies are required has yet to be examined. The present study was designed to address both …

Effects Of Response Requirements And Reinforcement Probability On The Latency To Depress A Foot Treadle, Terri Deborah Starin

Masters Theses

Previous studies have shown response latency to be a sensitive measure of die effects of many experimental manipulations. However, when key pecking is the required response topography, it is difficult to ascertain whether latency is exclusively due to the effects of the independent variable or is confounded by respondent influences. The present study attempts to separate operant from respondent influences on response latency by requiring a response topography that is unlikely to have respondent components. Three pigeons responded under a multiple fixed-rado fixed-ratio schedule of food delivery with a 5 s intertrial interval separating trials. For two subjects, the independent …

Self-Control: Effects Of Ratio Size, Intra-Delay Reinforcers, And Response Requirement, Elbert Q. Blakely Jr.

Dissertations

This study tested the following hypotheses: (a) The preference reversal phenomenon will be found when the delays to reinforcement are defined by fixed-ratio schedules, (b) The preference reversal phenomenon will be observed when intra-delay reinforcers are programmed, and (c) Imposing response requirements during the delay to reinforcement will affect preference for a larger delayed reinforcer over a smaller more immediate reinforcer. In Experiment 1, pigeons chose between two schedules, each a sequence of two fixed-ratio schedules. The second schedule of one sequence offered a small reinforcer and the second schedule of the alternative offered a larger reinforcer. The latter sequence …

Theoretical Considerations For Extracting Meaning From Personal Profile System Data: The Need For Independent Construct Validity Studies, Thomas G. Henkel, James Noel Wilmoth

Publications

The Personal Profile System (PPS) is a psychological testing instrument that has been widely used. The construct validity of the PPS was studied through a review of the literature. This paper organizes the literature review into three broad categories: the background of the PPS; the reliability of the PPS; and the validity of the PPS. The PPS is a self-scoring instrument measuring the behavioral responses of people along four dimensions: (1) dominance; (2) influencing; (3) steadiness; and (4) compliance. The instrument is designed to provide a systematic and comprehensive perception of an individual's behavioral tendencies and the behavioral tendencies of …

Jealousy: Its Emotional Components And Its Relationship To Situational Versus General Needs., Yola Harrison

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Male and female emotional reactions to jealousy arousing situations were investigated. These reactions were studied with relation to subjects ' general and relationship needs. Subjects ' expressed emotions, their general needs, and their relationship needs were measured. The results indicated that: 1) Females express stronger emotions in a jealousy situation, however, the range of expressed emotions for both males and females is similar. 2) Although relationship needs correlated more strongly, than did the general needs, with the expressed emotions, R* values were not high enough to permit understanding or prediction of these emotions through relationship needs.

Ratio Pausing And The Determination Of Discriminative Operant Latencies, Thomas M. Bell

Dissertations

The latency between discriminative stimulus onset and initiation of a corresponding ratio requirement (RR) was studied in pigeons using a two-key discrete-trial procedure with three-component multiple schedules. The two-key procedure allowed measurement of response-reinforcer relations on a "constant" key, and stimulus-reinforcer relations on a "stimulus" key. The first experiment showed regular between-session effects as equivalent fixed-ratio (FR) components were raised over several phases and then lowered. A direct relation was observed between latency and RR for each of ten subjects. Initial stimulus-key pecking showed several trends, the most prevalent being an inverse relation to RR.

Experiment 2 demonstrated within-session separations …

Depression In Caregivers Of Alzheimer’S Patients: Concurrent Validity Of Two Depression Scales, Joyce Sutton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Forty-five male and female family caregivers of institutionalized and noninstitutionalized Alzheimer’s Disease patients were assessed for depression, using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Internal consistency and concurrent validity for the BDI and GDS were acceptable, based on item-total correlation, coefficient alphas, and a Pearson’s Product-moment correlation. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was carried out to determine which variables predict depression in Alzheimer’s caregivers. Using the traditional cut-off score of 11 for each scale, it was found that 42% were depressed on the BDI, while 58% were depressed on the GDS; these rates were not significantly …

Differential Response Latencies Using Auditory Stimuli, Albert Edward Neal

Dissertations

Previous research has identified and isolated the elicited (autoshaped) control of pigeons' response latencies. The present research, using auditory frequencies as discriminative stimuli, was designed to eliminate the intrusion of this elicited control.

Two experiments are presented, both using a discrete-trial, two-component multiple schedule. In Experiment 1, in which a two-key arrangement was used, pigeons were required to peck a continuously-illuminated left key when one of two different frequencies, each correlated with a different amount of reinforcement, was presented behind the illuminated right key. In Experiment 2, in which a three-key arrangement was used, pigeons were required to peck either …

Assessment And Training Of Visual And Tactual Stimulus Equivalence, Brooke Ann Rigney

Masters Theses

Visual-tactual equivalence was examined within the stimulus equivalence paradigm originally developed by Sidman in studies of verbal behavior (1971). Experiment I assessed for equivalence between tactually and visually presented objects. In Experiment II, colors and textures were added to the objects and the effect of modality distinctive stimuli on equivalence was examined. Experiment III then studied the establishment of equivalence with these modality distinctive stimuli using the Sidman stimulus equivalence paradigm.

Visual-tactual equivalence was demonstrated in Experiment I. Experiment II demonstrated that equivalence could be disrupted by modality distinctive stimuli. Experiment III then showed that equivalence could be demonstrated between …

The Deaccelerator: A Behavioral Application Of A Differentially Imposed Force Schedule To The Accelerator Pedal Of A Motor Vehicle To Control Unlawful Highway Vehicle Speed, Richard Schulman

Dissertations

The Deaccelerator is a behaviorally designed speed control device that utilizes punishment and reinforcement by way of a differentially imposed force schedule to the accelerator pedal of a motor vehicle when vehicle speed exceeds the preset speed. Specifically, increasing and decreasing accelerator pedal resistance is a negatively accelerated function of respective increases and decreases in vehicle speed as speed moves in excess of 1 mph beyond the preset speed. A lesser force schedule generates linear increases and decreases in accelerator pedal resistance as a function of respective increases and decreases in accelerator pedal depression once vehicle speed moves in excess …

The Effects Of Time-Compression On Recall Utilizing A Videotape Presentation, William Edmiston Jr.

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Three population samples of college students were found to be similar on two stratifying variables, general intelligence and knowledge of conditioning principles, before viewing a time-compressed or non-compressed videotape presentation. The amount of unprompted information recalled did not differ significantly between the time-compressed and non-compressed treatment conditions. Additionally, neither treatment condition differed significantly on a multiple-choice posttest, although both groups did differ significantly from a control group that did not view the videotape. No significant difference was found between the time-compressed and non-compressed groups on their ratings of Quality of Narrator, Interest Level of Topic, and Overall Quality of Videotape …

The Effects Of Vocal Instructions And Sequence Of Conditions On The Acquisition And Maintenance Of Behavioral Chains, Charles L. Lowe

Dissertations

Five children, ages 5 to 6 1/2 years, were trained to learn and relearn four-link behavioral chains using conditioned reinforcement. Subjects were presented with a horizontal array of 12 chips in four equal groups. During Control Learning (CL) sessions, a new sequence of responses was learned through contingency shaping. The same sequence was presented later that day during a Control Relearning (CRL) session. Instruction on correct responses was provided during Instruction Learning (IL) sessions. The same sequence was presented without instruction during an Instruction Relearning (IRL) session later that day. Thus, new behavioral chains were acquired during CL and IL …

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 …

The Effects Of Reward And Reinforcement On Intrinsic Interest, Alyce Muzette Dickinson

Dissertations

Under certain circumstances, rewarding individuals for performing a task that they enjoy may decrease their subsequent interest in that activity when rewards are no longer available. Decreased task interest is not, however, an inevitable outcome of reward and the subsequent termination of reward. This study investigated one variable that may influence whether task interest will increase or decrease following reward termination: the degree to which the reward is reinforcing. The study also examined how long post-reward performance changes persisted when they occurred.

A multiple-trial, within-subject comparison design was employed in which three reward phases were alternated with post-reward phases. Two …

Effect Of Fixed-Ratio Size On Response-Latencies Produced By Other Variables, Albert Edward Neal

Masters Theses

Using a discrete-trial, two-component multiple schedule, pigeons were required to complete a fixed-ratio in the presence of stimuli correlated with different probabilities of reinforcement (Experiment 1), or different amounts of reinforcement (Experiment 2). The amount of separation of graphed median latencies to the onset of the two stimulus conditions as a function of the different reinforcement conditions was investigated in relation to various fixed-ratio values. It was found that previous researchers had chosen an optimal fixedratio size; larger ratios produced greater separation between median latencies, but at the expense of increased session-to-session variability, while smaller ratios failed to produce median …

The Effects Of Nonnutritive Sucking On The Behavior Of Premature Infants, Jean Newbold

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This quasi experimental study explored the effects of nonnutritive sucking opportunities on the premature's behavioral habituation, orientation and state control using the Mann-Whitney U-Test. The problem was to determine if experimental infants receiving regular nonnutritive sucking opportunities would show a difference in behavior when compared to a control group.

The sample was a purposive convenience sample of 15 infants. All infants were between the conceptual age of 28-34 weeks and were considered "stable" infants. Neurological examinations, consisting of selected segments of the Brazelton Newborn Behavioral Assessment Scale (BNBAS), were performed on all infants on the day of entry into the …

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. …

Sharing As A Function Of The Number Of Play Materials, Nancy Carol Milstead

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined whether the number of available play materials (toys) affected the occurrence of sharing behavior in preschool children. Eighteen four- and five-year-old children were assigned by age and gender to six same-sexed groups of three children each and were observed during three, 10-minute observation sessions. All groups were observed playing with one toy, two toys, and three toys. The children's play activities with the toy(s) were videotaped, and a behavioral coding system was developed to record those behaviors. The effect of toy condition on the sharing categories of Asked-for-Share, Partial Share, Overall Share (a category combining the highly …