Psychology Commons^™

Language Acquisition In Children With Autism, Tina Taylor

Faculty Publications

By definition, children with autism have deficits in communication. Often, when parents notice that something is "different" about their child, it is that he does not acquire language at the same rate as his peers, that the child uses what language he has in an idiosyncratic fashion (e.g., repeating phrases from videos, using pronouns incorrectly), or that the child appears to understand only that language which might be reinforcing to him (e.g., not responding to "Look at Mommy," but responding to "Do you want a cookie?)" When these "red flags" are apparent, parents should beware of misguided advice such as …

Seismic Adjustments: The Influence Of Inconvenience And Efficacy Perceptions, State Of Residence, And Demographic Factors, Nicole Elise Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Theoretical and empirical evidence suggests that peoples' perceptions of household seismic adjustments, in addition to their perceptions of earthquakes themselves, should predict the likelihood that seismic adjustments are performed. However, little research has been done to address this issue. While recent research has found peoples' perceptions of the effectiveness of household adjustments to influence adjustment levels, people's perceptions of inconvenience of household seismic adjustments - namely the cost, time effort, required cooperation and required knowledge involved in making these adjustments - have been found to not influence seismic adjustment. However, this study did find that the higher the perceived inconveniences …

"Spiritual Roots Of Ethical Marital Therapy", Wendy Watson Nelson

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Amcap And The Amcap Journal: Past, Present And Future: A Conversation With Burton C. Kelly, Phd, Carrie M. Wrigley

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

Burton C. Kelly, PhD, has been one of AMCAP's most faithful and fruitful contributors since its earliest years. He served from 1977-1978 as AMCAP's third President, and from 1982- 1987, as Journal Editor, during the journal's most prolific season to date. He has also served in a number of leadership capacities in other professional organizations. He earned a PhD in Human Development and Psychology from the University of Chicago and has served in many Church capacities over the years, including Bishop and Stake Mission President, and has served four full-time missions. Dr. Kelly retired ten years ago from BYU after …

Caregivers Locus Of Control For Child Improvement, Timothy B. Smith

Faculty Publications

A potentially important variable that has received little attention in the disabilities literature is the caregiver's locus of control beliefs for child improvement as they relate to treatment compliance and actual child improvement. To evaluate the construct's utility in a practice setting, 131 caregiver-child dyads were assessed twice, twelve months apart. Children were an average of approximately four years old at the first assessment, and all of them had mild to severe developmental disabilities. Aspects of caregiver compliance to treatment were rated, and measures of child development status, family functioning, and caregiver locus of control were administered. Results indicated that …

Ethnic Representation In A Sample Of The Literature Of Applied Psychology, Leslie Case, Timothy B. Smith

Faculty Publications

A number of authors have raised concerns over the external validity of psychological research. This study examined the extent to which empirical articles include human participants from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Articles published over a 5-year period in 14 selected journals representing 3 applied subdisciplines of psychology were examined. Of the 2,536 articles coded, only 61% indicated the ethnicity of the participants. For those articles, the ethnic compositions approximated U.S. Census estimates, with the exception of an over representation of African Americans and an under representation of Hispanic Americans. The results imply that although the field is apparently adequately recruiting English …

Strategies For Preventing Disruptive Behaviors Among Students With Autism, Tina Taylor

Faculty Publications

Help! What should I do with Michael? I can't control him! I often hear pleas of help similar to this one. What can a teacher do to help a student with autism learn and demonstrate appropriate behavior? The purpose of this article is provide a framework by which we can view behavior, and a description of a few strategies to help prevent challenging behaviors among students with autism. When I was a fresh out of college working under a provisional certificate, I was educated in the "current" methods of "behavior management." That is, I learned how to observe, count, graph …

Dating Behavior Of Latter-Day Saint Male Returned Missionaries: A Process Of Managing Desires, Nancy C. Mclaughlin

Theses and Dissertations

Each year thousands of Latter-day Saint males return to their homes after serving a two year religious mission. According to Latter-day Saint doctrine and cultural beliefs, these young men are expected to resume a normal life including dating and involvement in romantic relationships. Research and Latter-day Saint doctrine related to the dating behavior of returned missionaries (RMs) is reviewed. Most previous research has emphasized the quantitative analysis of single aspects of RMs dating behavior such as dating frequency and social status. In an attempt to add to this field of research, this qualitative analysis explored the attitudes and experiences of …

Beyond The Study Of The Natural Man: A Gospel Perspective On Human Nature, Timothy B. Smith, Matthew Draper

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

Latter-Day Saint Fathers Of Children With Special Needs: A Phenomenological Study, Michael M. Olson

Theses and Dissertations

This research, presents a qualitative study of six Latter-day Saint fathers of children with special needs. In-depth interviews were used to examine the demands and resources fathers draw upon in meeting the needs of their child(ren), the application of the conceptual ethic of fathering as generative work and crisis/stress theory, as well as an analysis of how fathers incorporated their religious beliefs, faith, and practices into fathering their special needs children. Narrative accounts are used to illustrate the results. These results are then applied to an integrated conceptual framework and clinical applications are made.

Reconsidering Solidarity In The Mormon Village, Todd L. Goodsell

Theses and Dissertations

In what became a classic rural community study, Lowry Nelson concluded in his first Mormon village series in the 1920's that the Mormon village is characterized by an extraordinary sense of solidarity. He claimed that this strong solidarity can be primarily explained by four factors of the social group: leadership, conflict, cooperation, and ideology. After resurveying the Mormon village in 1950, he concluded that solidarity had declined. However, a few problems become apparent to the present researcher looking back upon Nelson's findings. One of them is that Nelson never had a clear definition of solidarity to begin with. Another is …

On The Cross-Cultural Attitudes And Experiences Of Recently Returned Lds Missionaries, Timothy B. Smith, Richard N. Roberts, Burton Kerr

Issues in Religion and Psychotherapy

No abstract provided.

Risk-Taking Predispositions Among Mormon Women: Improving Communication About Health And Environmental Risks, Shelly Nicholls

Theses and Dissertations

This study measures risk-taking predisposition among a conservative religious population of women, in this instance Mormon women. Risk taking is defined as a recognition of some probability of negative consequences to an action, which can include the loss of a potential reward as well as a punishment. A risk-taking predisposition results when individuals are not risk aversive but, in fact, enjoy risk taking.

Survey research collected at two conferences in Utah reveal the likelihood of moderate levels of rebellious and adventurous risk-taking predisposition among the over 500 Mormon women respondents. It is suggested that religious affiliation or economic and educational …

Other-Centeredness And Depression In A Sample Of Mormon Women, Janice G. Nielson

Theses and Dissertations

Other-centeredness and depression were examined to see if a relationship existed between the two. One scale measuring other-centeredness and another measuring depression were given to a sample of married Mormon women who did not work outside the home. Other-centeredness and depression were significantly negatively correlated. The women scoring in the top one-third of the range of other-centeredness scores suffered no depression on the depression scale. The factor most predictive for depression was the relationship the women had with her husband, and other-centeredness was found to overlap with this variable to some extent. The factors of health, income, and education were …

Perception Of Leadership Style And Job Satisfaction, Carlos Holgado

Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between the perception of leadership behaviors, self-perception (managers and supervisors) vs. perception of others (staff members), and the level of job satisfaction of those staff members will be analyzed.

The main focus of the present study is to determine what the relationship is among the four basic leadership behaviors - Telling, Selling, Participating, and Delegating- based on the Situational Leadership theory (Hersey and Blanchard, 1974, 1982) perceived by staff members, and job satisfaction in terms of work, pay, opportunities for promotion, supervision style, relationship with coworkers-workers-workers-workers, and job in general according to the Job Satisfaction theory developed by …

The Level And Determinants Of Burnout Of Mormon Mothers In A Utah Suburban Town, Christina Mordock

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine burnout in Mormon mothers in a suburban Utah town. Specifically the amount and some determinants of burnout among these Mormon women was studied. A random sample of 266 Mormon mothers completed a questionnaire and a modified version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) which consisted of three subscales, (Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishment), and two categories in each subscale (Frequency and Intensity). The subjects scored in the moderately burned out category in each subscale. Significant relationships were found between the amount of burnout and the following: the age of the mother, …

Effects Of A Parent/Teen Workshop, Roberta Magarrell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the short-term effect of a parent-teen structured family facilitation program (PAT). The study compared pre and post workshop scores on a number of dependent variables in a workshop, a replication of the workshop, and a comparison group.
Analysis of the data revealed no significant differences from pretest to post test in either of the groups. However when the groups were combined there were some statistically significant differences from pretest to post test. The fathers increased in their ability to transfer control while the mothers decreased in kindness. A few post hoc analyses …

Psychology Among The Saints: The Development Of Behavioral Science At Brigham Young University, Bruce L. Brown, Mark K. Allen

Faculty Publications

There was a strong interest in psychology at Brigham Young University at the turn of the century; the third president was a psychologist and a number of distinguished psychologists regularly visited the campus. An outstanding young scholar who was destined to become the only Mormon president of the American Psychological Association started a vigorous academic psychology program in those early years, but he left the university because of a controversy over his teachings. Psychology at Brigham Young University developed little from that time until the 1940s. The 1950s were a time of rapid growth and development, expansion of the faculty, …

Assessment Of Influence That The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints Has On Exercise Habit Of Members Living In Utah County, Gary L. Preston

Theses and Dissertations

This study identified and analyzed the influence the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had on the decision of 309 respondents to exercise. The data obtained from the questionaires were analyzed using chi-square to compare males and females. Within the limitations of this study, the following conclusions were justified: women were more influenced by the LDS Church to exercise than men; LDS males and females exercised more than average American adults; walking, jogging, and aerobic dance were the most popular choices of LDS exercisers; and, there is a need to improve the awareness of LDS members concerning the Physical …

Mental Health Status Of Vietnamese Refugees In Utah County, Utah, David A. Acree

Theses and Dissertations

This study attempted to measure mental health status of Vietnamese refugees in Utah County, Utah. The test instrument used was the Cornell Medical Index (CMI). Two subproblems were considered: First, to see if refugee complaints on the CMI were predominantly physiological or psychological. Second, to see if there was a relationship between CMI scores and a related list of demographic variables.

Results showed the mean CMI score for the sample under study was well above the suggested score indicative of possible psychological dysfunction. For 80% of participants, psychological complaints were predominant over physical complaints. The only variables showing a relationship …

Parental Induction, Coercion, And Support And Adolescent Church Attendance, Stephen B. Morris

Theses and Dissertations

The study was an effort to determine the relationship between certain parental behaviors and church attendance of children of high school age. Eight parental factors, each consisting of certain behaviors, were used: support, coercion, positive induction, and negative induction for each parent.

Data were gathered with a self-report instrument which was mailed to a random sample of high school students in Sanpete County, Utah.

There were moderate correlations at high levels of significance between four of the parental factors and children's church attendance. Factor analysis demonstrated structural equivalence between six of the eight factors in this study and previous ones. …

Parental Control Of Children's Television: An Exploration Of The Relationship Between Control And Family Home Evening, Marion Wixom Mccardell

Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to examine the relationship between a secular behavior—television control—and a religious one—Family Home Evening. The findings show that there is a relationship, with those having favorable attitudes toward Family Home Evening and those who hold casual FHE's being most inclined to exercise positive control over their children's television viewing.

Fifty‐Four Voices From Two: The Effects Of Simultaneous Manipulations Of Rate, Mean Fundamental Frequency, And Variance Of Fundamental Frequency On Ratings Of Personality From Speech, Bruce L. Brown, William J. Strong, Alvin C. Rencher

Faculty Publications

Utterances of two adults males were analyzed and synthesized by a fast Fourier Transforms method. Each of the two voices was synthesized in each of the twenty‐seven combinations of three levels each of rate, mean FØ, and variance of FØ (a total of fifty‐four “voices” generated from two). The effects of the rate, mean FØ, and variance of FØ manipulations, the interactive effects of rate and variance of FØ, and the effects due to speaker were all statistically significant predictors of personality ratings given the voices. They accounted for 86%, 4%, 3%, 2%, and I% of the …

Changes In Scholastic Achievement And Intelligence Of Indian Children Enrolled In A Foster Placement Program, Linda Ouida Willson

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the long-term effects of the Indian Placement Program on the enrolled students' scholastic achievement as measured by standardized tests given in the schools. It also examines intelligence test scores and changes in them during years in the Program. The following effects on achievement were also examined: sex, age and grade at initial placement, and the child's adjustment as measured by number of foster homes in which he had been placed.

Perceptions Of Personality From Speech: Effects Of Manipulations Of Acoustical Parameters, Bruce L. Brown, William J. Strong, Alvin C. Rencher

Faculty Publications

A speech analysis-synthesis system was used to manipulate variance of fundamental frequency and a mechanical rate changer was used to manipulate speech rate. The synthesized and altered voices were tested for realism. Synthesized voices were mistaken for normal 50% to 58% of the time and rate-changed voices were mistaken for normal 78% of the time. Additional studies were conducted to test the effects of these acoustical manipulations on the adjective ratings judges made of speakers. Variance of intonation was increased and decreased by 50% for eight speakers. There was a significantrend for increased intonation to cause voices to be rated …

The Godbeite Movement: A Dissent Against Temporal Control, Grant H. Palmer

Theses and Dissertations

The approach of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 posed several real and imagined threats to the Mormon Kingdom in the Great Basin. The Pacific Railroad ended Mormon geographic isolation and brought economic competition from the States. The railroad also made it possible for miners to get to the gold fields faster and with the heave equipment necessary to make Utah mining profitable. Sensing the political problems and the social and moral evils that would accompany the railroad, the Mormon leaders, in hopes of meeting these problems, counseled to extend their economic goal of self-sufficiency. Through stepped-up cooperation and unity they …

A Comparison Of A Selected Group Of Lds Seminary Teachers In Relation To Nine Criteria For Measuring Religious Maturity, Gilbert W. Hull

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis was designed as a follow up of a study completed in 1959 which developed nine criteria for measuring religious maturity. The objective of this study was to develop a scale based on the nine criteria and administer it to seminary teachers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to explore the possibility of measuring differences in religious maturity. It was assumed that younger teachers who obtained a degree in a human behaviorally-oriented field of study would show the greatest level of religious maturity.

A Study Of The Concerns Of Eleventh And Twelfth Grade Seminary Students By Sex And Grade In Areas Covered By The Thirty-Five Directional Objectives Of The Lds Seminary System, M. Richard Maxfield

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the concerns of eleventh and twelfth grade L.D.S. Seminary students in areas covered by each of the thirty-five directional objectives of the L.D.S. Seminary System and to determine whether significant differences occur on the basis of grade and sex. A student inventory was constructed to measure concerns. The question of which directional objectives cause the greatest concern was to be answered for each male and female, junior and senior group. Five null hypotheses were formulated hypothesizing no differences in concerns between juniors and seniors, male and female groups.
The student inventory was …

A Study Of Boy Scout And Aaronic Priesthood Activity (Boys Age Twelve To Fourteen) In Selected Lds Wards, Orval Leonard Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

This study had two main purposes. Its first is to test the theoretical proposition that there is a carry-over into other systems of behavior as a result of group cohesion. For example, as scouting activities increased, Aaronic Priesthood activities increased. And according to the reference group theory, individuals join reference groups to fulfill certain needs, wants, goals, etc. In an active Boy Scout program many of these needs, wants, and goals are satisfied as the boys participate in the activities outlined by the Boy Scouts of America. Furthermore, once these needs are satisfied, change toward conformity tends to carry over …

The Relationship Of Orthodoxy And Prejudice Among Seminary Students Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Donald Sorensen

Theses and Dissertations

Research of the relationship between orthodoxy and prejudice is not clear. Some studies report those who acknowledge church membership to be less tolerant than those who do not. Other investigators find either slight differences or no differences among the attitudes of members of different religions. Still others find important differences in acceptance of orthodox religious beliefs and attitudes toward minority groups.