Psychology Commons^™

The Effects Of A Pre-Therapy Client Orientation On Clients In Psychotherapy, Nels Sather

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to assess the effects of a pre-therapy client orientation on clients admitted to a mental health center. A secondary purpose was to develop an effective and brief audio-visual orientation that would positively influence clients in therapy. It was hypothesized that a pre-therapy orientation would significantly reduce client no shows and cancellations, increase client fee payment, increase client level of psychological functioning, and increase client satisfaction with mental health services. None of the four hypotheses was supported by the research. A questionnaire filled out by the therapists involved in the study, after the data were …

A Study Of The Relationships Between Hemispheric Asymmetries And Intellectual Abilities, Anne Mcshane

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated the functional significance of cerebral asymmetries. Width measurements of the human brain were derived from computerized tomographic (CT) films and related to intellectual variables as determined by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Revised (WAIS-R). Subjects were adults of both sexes who had been referred for neurologic examination and were diagnosed as having no abnormalities (N=28). Reasons for referral included headache, dizziness, or to rule out central nervous system damage following various types of trauma. The asymmetry of hemispheric widths (left minus right) in the frontal, temporoparietal, and occipital areas was correlated with Verbal IQ minus Performance IQ …

Using Music In Teaching Social Skills To Mentally Retarded Subjects, Tamara Barron-Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which Melodies to Assist Social Interaction (MASI) would affect the social skills performance of the educable mentally retarded.

The study employed a pretest-posttest control group design with an N of 27 mentally-retarded subjects. It also employed a one-group pretest-posttest design with an N of 8 non-mentally retarded subjects.

All of the subjects received a pre- and post-score for their social skills performance level. Nineteen of the mentally-retarded subjects and all eight non-mentally retarded subjects received the MASI social skills teaching program as part of their regular curriculum.

The pre- …

The Effect Of Reinforcer Type On The Resurgence Of Responding, Lori Light-Richter

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The purpose of the study was to determine whether a previously reinforced response would resurge following the reinforcement and subsequent extinction of a second response when the two responses were established using two different reinforcers, and when both responses had been equivalent training. Rats were trained to press either a lever or a key with either food or water as the reinforcer. After this response had been extinguished, the alternative behavior was trained with the alternate reinforcer. Finally, this second behavior was extinguished. Little resurgence of the original response was noted for either subjects trained under same- or different- reinforcer …

An Investigation Of The Five-Term Contingency And The Conditional Control Of Equivalence Relations, Richard W. Serna

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the study of human operant behavior. One area of study reflecting this interest is the study of the formation of equivalent classes of stimuli by human subjects. The focus of the present research was the study of the conditions under which classes of equivalent stimuli can be inferred to be under conditional control.

In Experiment 1-A, three college students were trained to respond to a balanced five-term contingency via a visual-visual simultaneous matching-to-sample task with two choices of comparison stimuli. Probe tests showed that subjects' behavior could be described as …

Investigation Of Patient Anxiety, Patient Satisfaction, And Dental Student Behaviors, Mary Kathryn Morris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study examined the effect of information about patient's dental anxiety on patient satisfaction, patient discomfort, and patients' perceptions of dental student behaviors. The validity of patients' perceptions was examined by independent observation of dental student behaviors on videotaped dental screening visits.

Thirty dental students each examined two dentally anxious female patients. Each student received information about one of the patient' s dental anxiety and no information about the other. The order of presentation of the conditions information and no information was counterbalanced. The dependent measures were the Dentist Behavior Checklist, the Dental Visit Satisfaction Scale, the Patient Discomfort …

Academic Achievement Of Bereaved Children: Comparison With A Nonbereaved Population, Rebecca W. Valcarce

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to study the effects of bereavement on the academic achievement of secondary school students who had lost a parent through death by comparing them with students attending the same schools but who were living with both natural parents. The subjects in both groups were matched on pretest scores and demographic characteristics at the beginning of the study. Achievement posttest scores and overall high school grade point averages of both groups were compared using ANCOVA and multiple regression analyses. None of the analyses were found to be statistically significant, implying that academic achievement is not …

Sexual Orientation And Capacity For Intimacy, Sandra Lee Harshbarger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Capacity for intimacy was examined as a function of sexual orientation. Sixty-six volunteers comprised four groups: heterosexual males, homosexual males, heterosexual females and homosexual females. Subjects' ages ranged from 19 to 61 and education levels ranged from 10 to 21 years of schooling. The four groups were comparable in terms of age, education level and general mental health.

Each volunteer responded to the following instruments: the Orlofsky Intimacy Interview (questionnaire format), the Yufit Intimacy-Isolation Questionnaire, the Rubin Like Scale, the Rubin Love Scale and the Gordon Personal Profile (used to assess general mental health) . Responses were compiled and analyzed …

A Comprehensive Treatment Program For Abusive Parents: An Exploratory Study, Marvin Kim Marvel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Estimates of the incidence of child abuse range from 200,000 to 500,000 (Light, 1973) to over one million children each year (O'Brien, 1980). Child abuse is a leading cause of childhood death and injury (Starr, 1979). Demographic studies (e.g., Steele & Pollock, 1968) suggest that parents who abuse their children were often abused or neglected themselves. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect that many of the present victims of abuse will become abusing parents in the future unless the cycle is broken. The need for effective interventions to reduce this pervasive social problem is obvious.

Multiple-Stimulus Discrimination And Stimulus Overselectivity With Preschool Children, Maria C. Quintero

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Stimulus overselectivity is said to occur when behavior is under the control of a restricted set of stimuli from a stimulus complex. Three studies investigated the effects of specific multiple-stimulus training histories upon the overselective responding of normal preschool children.

In Experiment 1, eight children 3 to 5 years of age, were trained to discriminate forms presented on cards. Each form was labelled with a nonsense syllable, and each card (multiple stimulus) consisted of two forms. A time-delay training procedure was used. Four subjects were trained using Concurrent training in which two of the three S- response choices contained components …

The Relative Susceptibilities Of Interresponse Times And Post-Reinforcement Pauses To Differential Reinforcement, Nancy L. Trapp

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Post-reinforcement pauses (PRP) and interresponse times (IRTs) were examined to determine if these two temporal units changed in a similar fashion as a function of the delivery of differential reinforcement. Two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, four pigeons were exposed to a series of procedures in which PRP and IRT durations were gradually increased and then decreased. A fixed-ratio two (FR 2) differentiation schedule was used. Reinforcement was delivered if the PRP or IRT durations were greater than (PRP > and IRT > procedures) or less than (PRP < and IRT < procedures) specified temporal criteria. Criteria were gradually changed across procedures. Results showed that PRPs and IRTs changed in accordance with the differential reinforcement as specified by the various contingencies. When PRPs and IRTs were free to vary, the PRPs tended to change in a direction consistent with the IRT shaping contingencys whereas, the IRTs tended to shorten regardless of the PRP shaping contingency. In Experiment 2, two subjects were exposed to both an FR 2 and FR 1 schedule to determine if schedule size influenced the effects obtained on the differentiation procedures. PRPs were systematically changed using a differentiation procedure with a response requirement of either FR 1 or FR 2. Results showed similar changes in PRP durations between FR 1 and FR 2 differentiation procedures. An analysis of errors made on each shaping condition in both experiments was conducted to determine whether PRPs or IRTs were more susceptible to the differential reinforcement contingencies. Fewer errors were made on the PRP shaping conditions, indicating that PRPs were more easily changed. Implications for a comprehensive theory of reinforcement were discussed.

The Effect Of An Early Sensorimotor Intervention Program On The Development Of Infants With Perinatal Intraventricular Hemorrhage, Janet Millard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Our current ability to identify and appropriately treat infants who are at risk for developing various handicapping conditions is limited. Thus, research aimed at developing early diagnostic techniques and differential intervention programs for infants at risk for handicaps needs further attention. The purpose of this study was to determine if infants who suffered perinatal intraventricular hemorrhage and who received routine medical care plus sensorimotor intervention between 3 and 12 months of age, differed from similar infants who received only routine medical care.

Twenty-four subjects (10 experimental and 14 control) who were patients in neonatal intensive care at University of Utah …

The Stability And Predictive Validity Of The Bayley Scales Of Infant Development: A Meta-Analysis, Gary A. Goodrich

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The Bayley Scales of Infant Development (Bayley, 1969) is the most widely used infant assessment instrument in the United States. Reasons for its widespread use include research into the nature and development of intelligence, studies of intervention efficacy, and treatment and placement of handicapped infants.

To this date, the stability and predictive validity of the Bayley scales have not been well established. According to Webster and Bates, "There remains a serious lack of research examining the stability of all general intelligence measures over extended intervals of time" (1977, p. 5). Anastasi (1976) suggests that tests like the Bayley are particularly …

The Mmpi As A Predictor Of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Vietnam Veterans, Susan Rogers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) could be used to discriminate between Vietnam veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and those with other mental disorders. Scores on the 13 validity and clinical scales of the MMPI were used as predictor variables in two discriminant analyses. The first of these was performed in replication of studies in which cases of substance-abuse disorder were eliminated from the non-PTSD comparison group. Substance- abuse cases were included in the second discrimination. The results indicated that while the MMPI can be used to discriminate PTSD from non-PTSD …

Teaching Minimum Based Competency Test Skills To Secondary-Aged Learning Disabled Students Through The Use Of Precision Teaching, Michael E. Byrnes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This project investigated whether a precision teaching method used with learning disabled high school students (grades 9-12) could give them the skills needed to pass a minimum based competency test in the area of local, state and national government. The specific objective of this project was to determine if the use of precision teaching enabled the students to retain the facts needed to pass a competency test required for graduation. A multiple-baseline design across behaviors was used to show the effect of precision teaching in mastering the needed facts. The data from each baseline improved and surpassed the set criteria …

The Effects Of Recreation Specialization And Motivations On The Environmental Setting Preferences Of Backcountry Hikers, Randy J. Virden

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study explored how recreation specialization and different types of motivations were related to environmental settings preferred by backcountry hikers. A questionnaire was developed that measured the level of hiking specialization, desired psychological outcomes, and preferred environmental setting attributes. Questionnaires were mailed to 619 backcountry hikers from three Intermountain West hiking areas; a response rate of 68 percent was attained.

Results of the study revealed significant associations between the level of hiking specialization and the psychological states desired by backcountry hikers. In general, increased hiking specialization served to increase the importance of specific psychological outcomes such as autonomy, exercise, achievement …

The Role Of Vicarious Reinforcement For Modeled Or Alternate Behavior, Brian C. Lech

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research on vicarious reinforcement has answered many questions but whether vicarious reinforcement increases the likelihood that an observer will imitate a model, a social learning theory would predict, or sets the occasion for the observer to perform an alternate response, as a discriminative stimulus interpretation of vicarious reinforcement suggests, seems to depend on (1) the setting, (2) procedure, and (3) reinforcers used. In an effort to better understand the function of vicarious reinforcement, while controlling for subjects; histories and using tangible reinforcers, 47 preschool children participated in two experiments that (1) provided an experimental history of responding on several levers, …

Demand Characteristics In The Hypnotic Elicitation Of Multiple Ego States, Laura M. Sturgis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Hypnotic elicitation of multiple ego states was explored using Hilgard's "hidden observer" paradigm. Twenty subjects in two groups: hypnosis and simulation were utilized to examine the impact of experimental demand characteristics on the production of multiple ego states. Self-report and hypnotist-report measures were obtained in a test-retest design. Multiple t-tests and chi-square analyses were computed with significant differences on key multiple ego state items found between groups. Results demonstrated retest reliability, but not inter-rater reliability of this dissociative phenomena, since hypnotists failed to discriminate real from "faked" hypnotic involvement. Exploration of multiple ego states using non-hypnotic control conditions and multiple …

Contextual Control Of Stimulus Equivalence With Preschool Children, M. Regina Green

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research asked whether a contextual stimulus in a visual conditional discrimination task controlled membership in classes of stimuli related hierarchically. Six experiments with nonreading preschool children posed the following question:

Does a stimulus juxtaposed with a conditional discrimination task control relations among the stimuli involved in the task? In Experiments I and II, printed instance or concept words were juxtaposed with conditional discrimination tasks involving symbols. Results for eight of nine children demonstrated neither conditional nor equivalence relations between words and symbols.

Would conditional discrimination training establish classes of visual stimuli composed of selectively nonequivalent subsets? In Experiment III, …

A Neuropsychological Approach For Differentiating The Residual Effects Of Neonatal Intraventricular Hemorrhage, Glenn Thomas Goodwin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It is well documented in the literature that low-birth-weight (LBW) and prematurity are associated with a variety of developmental disabilities. Within this population of LBW children it is estimated that at birth, up to 45% of them experience intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). Only recently has pediatric research begun to look at the potentially unique effects of IVH, and attempt to separate these out form the effects of LBW in general. The purpose of this study was to investigate the neuropsychological differences that may occur in children with a history of mild or sever IVH, who are now approaching school age. The …

Factors Influencing Grief Adjustment In The Elderly, Jo Anne Pauline Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this paper was to attempt to identify variables which may enhance the ability of older widowed persons to adjust to viii bereavement. Depression and perceptions of physical health were the two aspects of adjustment selected for study. Several variables which current literature suggests may mediate grief adjustment were examined for their potential relationship to bereavement outcome. These were gender, level of grief, anticipatory grief and social network. The possible relationship between depression and perceptions of physical health was also examined for.

Subjects were 75 men and women, age 55 and over, who were recently widowed, and 29 …

Client Writing In Individual Therapy: A Review Of The Literature, Karla Esplin Bennion

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Client writing has been used in association with individual therapy for many years, but published research on its effectiveness is sparse. Such research could provide a potential tool for therapists, as well as expand scientific knowledge. This review includes all available reports on the topic of client writing in individual therapy. The studies fall into three general categories: the systematic, "experimental" studies; the anecdotal reports; and the didactic reports. All studies considered show some benefit from the use of client writing in therapy. Writing appears to be beneficial whether initiated by the client or directed by the therapist; beneficial to …

Factor Analysis Of A Self-Report Problem Inventory For Use In Clinical Settings, William F. Corey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A factor analysis was performed using 609 subjects, each of whom completed the 265 Hem self-report problem inventory. Factor analysis was used in this context as the logical first step in the development of the problem inventory. For the purpose of analysis, 240 of the Hems were used. Results suggest that there may be utility in further research involving the problem inventory. A literature review of current diagnostic issues, se 1 f-report inventory issues, diagnostic interviewing issues, and finally, self-report inventory development is included.

The Psychological And Social Consequences Of Htlv-Iii Infection: Homosexuals In Orange County, Ca, Kenneth Burton Kaisch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to identify the psychological and social consequences experienced by homosexual men who learn that they have positive results on the HTLV-III antibody test, but who have not yet developed AIDS or ARC. Employing a census survey of the membership of three California homophile organizations (n=1905), 30 HTLV-III positives and 55 negatives completed a biographical questionnaire, the IPAT Anxiety Scale Questionnaire, the IPAT Depression Scale, and the Coping Strategies Inventory. Results indicate that HTLV-III positives show considerable disorganization after hearing test results, have clinically high levels of anxiety (n=10), and clinically high levels of depression …

A Comparison Of The Verbal Productions Of Normal And Behaviorally Disordered Children Using Interview And Color Book Techniques, Alan L. Muhlestein

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to test the usefulness of The Color Book in facilitating interactions between an interviewer and a child. Interviews employing The Color Book were compared with interviews in which no art materials were used. More specifically the question of whether the length of utterances, number of emotional words used and statements about self by the subjects differed between groups using the Color Book and interviews without art materials.

Subjects were forty grade school age children attending public schools. Twenty had previously been classified as behaviorally disordered and the other twenty had no such classification. Half …

The Effects Of A Structured Intervention Program On Identity And Divorce Adjustment, Rodger Trent Wentz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to determine if a structured intervention program could assist individuals in adjusting to some of the disruption associated with divorce. A secondary purpose was to determine if identity status would mediate the effects of the intervention program upon divorce adjustment. The components of the intervention program were modeled on previous research. It was hypothesized that individuals participating in a structured treatment program would manifest greater gains in areas of divorce adjustment than the control group. However, results show that while there was greater gain for the experimental group than the control group in several …

A Profile Of The Victim Of Father-Daughter Incest: Testing Hypotheses From The Literature, Lawrence Manley Wilcox

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this paper was to develop a profile of the victim of father-daughter incest. One descriptive profile was constructed from the literature, using a content analysis, and one profile was developed utilizing 25 subjects' responses to a questionnaire and a Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. These two profiles were compared. The items on the profiles with the greatest amount of predictive value were identified. A high point profile of the 4-8/8-4 scales on the MMPI was also identified in both the subjects' responses and in the literature. The final profile is designed for use by clinicians who work with …

Habit Reversal Treatment Of Bulimia Nervosa, Ken Small

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Although several writers have emphasized the habit-like characteristics of bulimia nervosa, no study has investigated the extent to which bulimia responds to treatment specifically for habit disorders. Habit reversal is a general treatment plan which teaches individuals to regain lost awareness of all aspects of a habit. The habit is then interrupted at the earliest movement in the chain by a physically competing response. Habit reversal (Azrin & Nunn, 1973) has been effective in treating other habits (e.g., stuttering, tics, bruxism). In the present study, habit reversal was adapted for the treatment of bulimia.

In response to newspaper advertisements, ten …

A Comparison Of Evaluation Models For Handicap Intervention In A Head Start Program, Carin Niebuhr

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Model A and Model C Title I evaluation options were compared by using both options to measure the effectiveness of handicap intervention in a Head Start program. Two hundred three children in Jackson County (Oregon) were pretested with the Developmental Indicators of Learning Test (DIAL), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), the Visual-Motor Integration Scale (VMI), and the Carrow Elicited Language Inventory (CELI). The 43 children who scored below the predetermined cut-off level were placed in a six-month intervention program. One hundred forty-nine children remaining in the Head Start program in May were posttested with the same tests. Model …

The Effects Of Prosocial And Aggressive Videogames On Children's Donating And Helping, John H. Chambers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of prosocial videogames, played both singly and cooperatively, and aggressive videogames, played both singly and competitively, on children's prosocial behavior. Eighty boys and 80 girls, half third and fourth graders, and half seventh and eighth graders, were randomly assigned to one of five conditions. In a control condition, children answered questions about videogame experience and enjoyment. In two of the treatment conditions, children played a videogame with prosocial content (a human-like fantasy character rescuing another from danger); half of the children played this game singly, while the other half played …