Psychology Commons^™

Multiple Cue Probability Learning: Effects Of Individual Differences On Mcpl Performance, Catherine Q. Greenwald

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This exploratory study investigated individual difference effects on multiple cue probability learning performance. Measures of cognitive complexity, creativity, problem solving ability, and anxiety were correlated with the NCPL indices of performance. Eighty participants (40 men and 40 women) were randomly selected graduate students from the six colleges of Old Dominion University. Results showed significant Pearson Product Moment correlations among the Level 2 NCPL achievement and matching indices and the predictors Career Path Appreciation phrase card average, Kirton Adaptation Innovation Inventory, Quantitative GRE scores, gender, and anxiety. There is some evidence that MCPL performance can be explained in terms of these …

Body-Image Attitudes And Perceptions Among African-Americans And Whites As A Function Of Socioeconomic Class, Christopher Eugene Huffine

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

While many facets of body image have been extensively researched, relatively few studies have examined racial and social class differences in body image. The present paper consists of two studies examining racial and class differences in body image among males and females. Study 1 utilized a national sample of respondents to a 1985 Psychology Today survey to examine racial (Black and White) and educational differences in body image among men and women. Study 2 utilized a smaller sample of Black subjects, half drawn from several Southeastern universities and the other half from non-academic locations in the Tidewater area of Virginia …

The Relationship Among Absorption Anxiety And Frontal Electromyogram, Jeffrey E. Atkinson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the relationship among absorption, anxiety (state and trait), and frontal EMG in a sample of sixty undergraduate students. These relationships were examined during a baseline (relaxation) condition and during an anxiety condition during which an extemporaneous speech was given. It was determined that absorption was inversely related to state anxiety and trait anxiety was directly related to state anxiety measured after the relaxation period. Absorption and/or trait anxiety were not related to state anxiety after the speech anxiety condition. There was no relationship between absorption or trait anxiety and frontal EMG during either condition. In addition, state …

Religious Orientation And Sex-Role Attitudes: The Apportionment Of Paid Employment Childcare And Household Tasks Within The Context Of Marriage, Gregory Ralph Caron

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between intrinsic/extrinsic religious orientation and sex-role attitudes within the context of marriage. Three hundred and ten students from urban Catholic high schools participated in the study. Sex-role attitudes were measured using Likert-type scales reflecting judgment on apportionment of time between spouses for paid employment, childcare, and housework. Also, Likert-type scales reflected perceived comfort, perceived marriage satisfaction, and divorce probability for a husband and wife represented in an egalitarian and a traditional sex-segregated scenario. Sex-role attitude scores were examined by categorizing students according to gender and high/low intrinsic and extrinsic groups. …

Transfer Of Thermal Biofeedback Training From One Hand To The Opposite Hand, W. Thomas Bundick Jr.

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Thermal biofeedback is a way to train subjects to raise and lower peripheral skin temperature. Raising skin temperature has been shown to be useful in treating vascular disorders such as migraine headaches and Raynaud's disease. This study examined the effect that, training of one hand has on subsequent training of the other hand. Subjects were given three sessions of training in either hand warming or hand cooling with their dominant hands, followed by one session of warming or cooling with the opposite hand. Based on prior research, it was hypothesized that prior training of one hand would facilitate training of …

The Effects Of Social Support On The Psychological Adjustment Of Navy Wives Experiencing Deployment, Marci A. Harris

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The military, particularly a Navy deployment, provides unique challenges and stresses to the military family. The present study investigated the effects of social support on the psychological well-being of Navy wives experiencing spousal deployment. Sixty-three Navy wives in the Tidewater, Virginia area completed questionnaires on depression, self-esteem, and daily stress, as well as on the size of and satisfaction with affective and instrumental support. Assessments were made before, during, and after the deployment. Results of stepwise regressions showed that satisfaction with various aspects of social support significantly (p < .05) predicted levels of depression, self-esteem, and daily stress at all three phases of deployment. Results also showed that psychological wellbeing was lowest at middeployment. Findings demonstrate the importance of developing satisfactory social support systems prior to, during, and after deployment.

Effects Of Extraversion And Gender On Self-Disclosure Of Emotion With A Same-Sex Friend, Patrick M. Ulmen

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The study examined subjects' perceptions about disclosure of emotion by a stimulus person who was depicted as extraverted or introverted, and subjects' self-disclosure of emotion based on their own level of extraversion. In addition, the role of gender in disclosure of emotion was examined. The findings on differences in disclosure of emotion based on gender are considered tentative. Males self-disclosed anger more to same-sex stimulus persons than did females, but this was the only significant difference. An introverted compared to an extraverted stimulus person was found to elicit more disclosure about emotions associated with calmness and depression. Emotions which an …

The Effect Of Menopause Stage And Exercise On Perceived Body Image And Depression, Barbara Anne Waters

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the impact of menopause stage and level of exercise on depression and perceived body image with 101 women aged 40-60 years. Instruments included a demographic information sheet, the Life Experience Survey (LES), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ). The relationship between menopause stage and depression was not significant. The relationship between menopause stage and perceived body-image was also not significant. Menopausal women do not appear to be more depressed or to have lower body-image perceptions when compared to premenopausal women. The main effect for amount of exercise and perceived body image …

An Analysis Of Urban Higher Education Ceo's Perceptions Of Critical Leadership Behaviors, Linda Ferguson Banis

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The research question for this study asked if CEO's (Chief Executive Officers) of urban higher education institutions hold the same values and beliefs as those attributed to business and industry CEO's through the business literature. Through survey methodology, the analysis of urban higher education CEO's perceptions of critical leadership behaviors revealed very similar belief patterns. The primary discrepancies between the research group and their industry counterparts lie in the degree to which critical behaviors are espoused and in the acceptance of transformational leadership as a proactive model for effective organizational change. The responses to the open-ended portion of the questionnaire …

Gender Effects On Recall, Clinical Judgement And Treatment Recommendations For A Combination Of Major Depression And Alcohol Dependence Symptoms, Jodi L. French

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the effect of client gender on several aspects of clinical decision-making processes and clinical judgement when a client presented with a combination of depressive and alcohol-dependent symptoms. Forty-four male and 44 female clinicians, who came from various mental health disciplines (i.e., psychology, social work, counseling, nursing, and psychiatry), volunteered to participate as subjects.

The subjects were assigned to hear one of four audiotapes (two male tapes and two female tapes) in which mock clients gave the same initial presentation of symptoms and problems. After listening to the tapes, the clinicians were asked to engage in a number …

Communicating With Graphic User Interfaces: A Comparison Of Menu Selection And Menu Bypass Techniques, Monty Lee Hammontree

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study was conducted in two phases to determine design tradeoffs relating to command bar menu and bypass code-based techniques for interacting with computers. Forty eight subjects participated. In the first phase of the experiment, mouse-, chorded key-, and function key-based menu selection techniques were compared. It was found that menus were accessed much faster with spatially mapped function keys as compared to chorded key sequences or mouse inputs, and that relative to mouse inputs compatible letter keys lead to faster command selection times. Further, the function key-based technique yielded the fastest combined access and selection times, the fastest …

Determinants Of Feedback-Seeking Behaviors, Melinda J. Montgomery

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present research was to evaluate the effects of the level of task difficulty, the value of the goal, and the amount of effort required to obtain feedback on the frequency of feedback-seeking behaviors (FSB). The design was a 2 (task difficulty) x 2 (goal value) x 2 (effort) x 3 (day) mixed model analysis of variance. Eighty undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of eight experimental conditions. Each participant played a computerized stock market game for three "days". Three types of referent feedback and three types of appraisal feedback were available. The results indicated that more …

A Program Evaluation Of The Welcome Baby Project: A Primary Prevention Program For Teenage Mothers And Their Infants, Susan A. Murdock

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The central purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Welcome Baby Project (WBP), a primary prevention program with the mission of promoting child development and a positive relationship between "at-risk" adolescent mothers and their infants and to prevent disorders of attachment, child abuse and neglect, and unwanted, repeat pregnancy. Intervention involved weekly home visits by trained parent volunteers for children from birth to two years.

The WBP mothers and a control group of adolescent mothers were compared on assessments collected during a home visit. Participants were asked to complete the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI), and the …

The Effects Of Confidentiality Gender And Subject Shyness On The Social Desirability Response Bias, Scott D. Bradshaw

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the effect of confidentiality on objective and semi-projective personality measures. Confidentiality was manipulated by telling the subject his/her responses would, or would not, be discussed with the examiner. The effect was assessed by comparing a subject s scores on two different measures of the same construct'ne test completed with confidentiality, the other without. It was hypothesized that subjects in the non-confidential condition would alter the responses on the measures and that this effect would be greatest with opposite gender pairings of subjects and examiners. The possible moderator variables of shyness, self-monitoring, and self-actualization were also examined. Data …

Sexual Orientation Body Image And Sexual Functioning, Charlie Bryan Finch Jr.

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Comparisons were made between 78 heterosexual men, 113 heterosexual women, 55 gay men, and 54 lesbians (N = 300) on a variety of body-image and sexual-functioning measures. In comparison to heterosexual men, gay men were more cognitively invested in their appearance, less satisfied with their muscularity and physical fitness, and were less invested in their fitness. Gay men also evidenced a relatively stronger sex drive and experienced premature ejaculation less frequently and inhibited orgasm more frequently. In comparison to heterosexual women, lesbians were more satisfied with their body areas, less cognitively and behaviorally invested in their appearance, and less worried …

The Relation Between Maternal Behavior And Childrearing Goals And Child Outcomes In Low-Income Black Children, Dawn D. Wimbush

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the relation between maternal goals and practices and preschool children's cognitive development and behavioral compliance. Fifty low-income Black mothers of three- to five— year-old children were interviewed and completed several questionnaires that assessed childrearing goals and practices. The HOME, a measure of maternal stimulation was also assessed. Children were administered the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities and an achievement test. Child compliance to maternal requests was observed in the home. Considerable diversity was found in maternal childrearing goals. For the most part, maternal goals were not related to child outcomes; however, indirect-internal techniques (Sears, Maccoby, & …

Relocation Decision-Making In Dual-Career Couples, Lori Bartels

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the decision-making process of individuals in dual-career couples when faced with a job opportunity in a distant city. The purpose was to determine which factors would be given the most importance by males and females during the decision process.

Each scenario presented an identical situation in which the participant was offered a job in a distant city. Following this paragraph were five brief statements representing five factors; job opportunities for self, job opportunities for spouse, career commitment--self, career commitment--spouse, and economic considerations. Two levels (moderate and high) of each factor were used in order to manipulate the …

The Effect Of Fear Of Success And Perceived Task Difficulty On Cognitive Performance, David Eugene Elkins

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship of fear of success (FOS) and perceptions of task difficulty, their interactive effect on anagram and matrix-task performance and possible gender differences on these variables. A total of 226 students, 83 males and 143 females, participated in the study. FOS was measured by the administration of Zuckerman and Allison's (1976) Fear of Success Scale. Perceptions of task difficulty were manipulated by use of falsified normative data. Subjects therefore believed the upcoming task was either easy or difficult or the subjects were employed as controls. An anagram task and 12 items selected from Raven's Standard Progressive …

Difference Between Maternal Characteristics And Home Environments Of Day Care And Non-Day Care Families, Eva Granahan Clarke

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine differences between maternal characteristics and the home environments of families who planned to use day care and those who did not. The relationships between maternal personality characteristics and the other variables under investigation were also examined. The subjects completed four questionnaires which assessed attitudes towards working mothers, maternal separation anxiety, parenting stress, and general personality characteristics. The home environment was assessed by the Home Observation for the Measurement of the Environment. The subjects in the study were 16 mothers who planned to remain home and not place their children in day …

Operator Strategies Under Varying Conditions Of Workload, Ruth Justine Arnegard

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study attempted to operationally define and measure strategic behavior in a complex multiple task environment. The Multi-Attribute Task battery was developed to simulate various aspects of flight and consisted of an auditory communication task, monitoring tasks, a tracking task, a resource management task which allowed a wide range of responding patterns, and a scheduling window which allowed operators to predict changes in workload. This battery was validated for its sensitivity to strategic behavior and baseline measures for each individual task were collected.

Twenty-four undergraduate and graduate students then performed the battery for four 64-minute sessions which took place …

A Comparative Analysis Of Nurse Leaders' Degree Of Transformational Leadership And Staff Nurse Job Satisfaction, Kathie Sawyer Weatherly

Ellmer School of Nursing Theses & Dissertations

The intensified pressure for change in nursing organizations has presented nurse leaders with opportunities to transform bureaucratic settings into professional practice environments. Transformational leadership has been identified as supporting the changing values of staff nurses and promoting job satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to explore nurse leaders' degree of transformational leadership and the relationship between transformational leadership and staff nurse job satisfaction. Quantitative analysis, using an independent t-test, indicated a significant difference between nurse leaders' and staff nurses' perception of the nurse leaders' degree of transformational leadership. Pearson correlation analysis indicated a significant relationship between transformational leadership and …

The Role Of Priming In The Rating Process: An Investigation Of Priming Effects In A Simulated Assessment Center, Rebecca Regan Keever

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Through interactions with others in the assessment center, an assessor may be exposed to potentially biasing information (priming). Research from other fields indicates that raters will use this prior information in making judgments. This study examined priming in a simulated assessment center, using a 2 (primed or unprimed) by 2 (trained or untrained) by 2 (prestige-relevant or relevant-only source of information) within-subjects design. A total of 136 participants observed and rated the behavior of three candidates. Primes describing behaviors engaged in by each candidate were presented before participants observed them. All information was presented by either a professor or a …

Computer Use In The Scientific Office, Douglas L. Miller

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Over the past two decades computers in research and development organizations have become a complex and integral part of the work process. Yet to date only a handful of systematic investigations have addressed issues involving scientists' or other professionals' use of computers, and very little is known about factors influencing use (Bikson and Gutek, 1983; Blacker and Brown, 1986; Collopy, 1988; Gasser, 1986; Helander, 1985; Nickolson, 1985; Pope, 1985). As a result, this research was designed to address four objectives. The first was to develop and evaluate a descriptive model of variables influencing scientists' computer use. The second objective was …

Overall Laughing One And The Experiences, Anina Porter Adams

Institute for the Humanities Theses

A fictional play based on the study of writings by psychotherapist Carl Gustav Jung. The action is set in the imaginary realm of archetypes, amoral personified energies which appear in tales from diverse cultures. In this play the mythical characters move in an ordered, ritualistic manner. They are dependent upon a geometrically centered black box for the provision of human forms through which they experience "being." A female is the human form provided in this instance and she combines her own energy with that of the other characters though she is not conscious of this fact. The archetypal energies focus …

Psychosocial Developmental Levels Of Freshman Urban University Students With Learning Disabilities, Nancy Ann Wolthuis Olthoff

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This research study addressed the question, "Is there a difference in psychosocial developmental levels, as defined by Arthur Chickering, between male and female traditional-aged urban university freshmen with and without learning disabilities?" Twenty students with learning disabilities, as diagnosed by independent practitioners who exhibited spelling disabilities on a writing sample placement test, were compared to two comparable groups of twenty students. One comparison group did not exhibit spelling disability. The second group while demonstrating spelling problems, did not have documentation of learning disabilities. The Student Developmental Task and Lifestyle Inventory, a measure of Arthur Chickering's theory of psychosocial development, was …

The Effects Of Wellness Activity Choices On Urban Employees' Psychological Mood States And Job Satisfaction, Ruth Porter Holland

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This ex-post-facto study was designed to examine the effects of varied levels of physical activity participation choices on employees' mood states and job satisfaction. A six (group) x two (sex) x three (times) ANCOVA method analyzed the relationship of three independent variables (group, sex and repeated exercise sessions) to ten dependent psychological measures (seven mood states and three job satisfaction components). Comparisons by group, sex, and time were made to determine whether four treatment groups of male and female employees who made choices to participate in varied levels of physical activity over an eight week period differed significantly from two …

The Effects Of Job Characteristics And Task Decomposition On The Estimation Of The Dollar-Value Of Performance, Robert P. Delprino

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the influence of job characteristics and structuring aids on the accuracy and acceptance of managers' estimates of the standard deviation of job performance in dollars (i.e., SD_y). The job characteristics consisted of critical incidents of work behaviors and existing performance appraisal dimensions. The structuring aids consisted of full algorithm and partial algorithm procedures. In addition, a global estimation procedure was included in the design and served as a control condition. Participants were 96 nursing managers. Through the use of questionnaires, the managers provided dollar-value estimates of the value of low, …

The Effects Of Training And Feedback Format On Reactions To In-Basket Feedback And On In-Basket Performance, Michael G. Fedorko

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of training and feedback format on reactions to in-basket feedback and on in-basket performance. Performance was evaluated with a 2 (Training) x 3 (Feedback) x 2 (In-Basket) x 5 (Dimension) repeated measures factorial design. Reactions were evaluated with a 2 (Training) x 3 (Feedback) x 2 (Questionnaire) repeated measures factorial design. The Training factor was comprised of frame-of-reference training (designed to prepare the recipient to receive the feedback) and a control condition (a lecture on Mintzberg's managerial role classification system). The Feedback factor was comprised of written feedback, oral feedback, …

A Comparison Of Decision-Making Variables Used By Dual-Career Couples, Margaret K. Conrad

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The increasing number of households transitioning from traditional oneworker families to dual-career families has created complex issues for the individual, the family, employers, and society in general. Learning more about how these dual-career couples make decisions will help provide a better capability to tailor counseling needs to these individuals, as well as guide policy for employers. This study examined 115 dual-career spouses from four different occupational groups: Air Force, Army, Navy, and civilian organizations. The participants consisted of 54 husbands and 61 wives who completed a questionnaire designed for this study. The survey measured 12 decision-making variables identified in a …

Interaction Between Amphetamine And Ethanol On Amphetamine-Produced Conditioned Place Preference, Cheryl Pelphrey-Weigand

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Male Long-Evans rats were conditioned 6 days, alternating drug and non-drug conditions, using injections of .6 mg/kg d-amphetamine, amphetamine plus 60mg/kg ethanol, or amphetamine plus 120 mg/kg ethanol. These injections were given in a specific side of the shuttlebox to assess the development of a place preference or aversion. The amount of time spent in the drug-paired side was analyzed on 2 non-drugged test days. Rats spent significantly more time in the drug-paired side on Test Day 1 than on Test Day 2. When the ethanol groups were combined, these rats spent significantly more time in the drug-paired side than …