Psychology Commons^™

Behavioral Induction In Guinea Pigs As A Function Of Reinforcement Magnitude In Multiple Schedules Of Negative Reinforcement, Dennis L. Burns

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of changes in magnitude of negative reinforcement on multiple schedules with the guinea pigs. In both schedule components, the first response (lever press) after an average of 10 seconds was reinforced. In the constant component of this schedule the reinforcement magnitude (time-off from electric foot shock) was always 15 seconds; whereas, in the manipulated component the magnitude changed in the following sequence: 15, 7.5, 15, 30, and 15 seconds. All subjects showed a gradual decrease in response rate across baseline conditions. When behavioral effects were evaluated relative to this changing …

The Relationship Between A Measure Of Dogmatism And Retention Of Rogerian And Skinnerian Concepts, Richard A. Carpenter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present study attempted to investigate the relationship between a subject's degree of dogmatism and his attitudes towards the different theoretical positions held by B. F. Skinner and Carl Rogers regarding the control of man. This study utilized selective retention as an indicator of subjects' attitudes. No significant difference was found between Skinner's and Rogers' on their retention of high, medium, and low dogmatism groups. There was also a non-significant correlation between subjects' scores on the retention of Sinner's and Rogers' concept and subjects' dogmatism scores.

A Comparison Of Second Grade Children's Learning Curves On School Tasks With Their Respective Performances On The "Black Box Test Of Learning Ability", Robert Stephen Knox

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated the usefulness of the Black Box Test of Learning Ability as an indicator of children's performance on math and writing tasks. Twelve second grade students, seven to eight years of age, demonstrated naivete on both tasks and were subsequently individually administered the learning test. The subjects were divided into two groups, and each group received a different task presentation order. Composite scores were derived for all subjects and tasks, and individual learning curves were compared.

The combined Black Test score produced a significantly high correlate to math (rho = .733) and writing (rho = .841) than either …

Perceived Feminine Role Orientation And Positive Self Concept, Jeanne Josselyn Edwards

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis was to explore the relationships between perceived feminine role orientation and positive self-concept, as measured by scores attained on the Inventory of Feminine Values (IFV), and the Total Positive Self Scale of the Tennessee Self Concept Scale (TSCS). Three objectives were established. First, to gather current information on women's realistic and ideal self-perceptions of their feminine roles, and determine whether these are liberal, traditional, or neutral in orientation. Second, to determine if there are significant differences in self-concept as measured by the TSCS among women who see themselves as either traditional, liberal or neutral in …

The Effects Of Videotape Relaxation Training And Emg Feedback On Frontalis Muscle Activity, Richard G. Weiher

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two studies were undertaken to assess the relative effects of videotape progressive relaxation and EMG feedback. During both studies EMG levels of the frontalis muscles were recorded. Ten subjects referred by the University Counseling Center, as high anxiety individuals, were exposed to one of the above two methods. A single subject multiple baseline design, including reversals, was used. Each subject was given four or six baseline sessions, one, four or seven exposures to the videotape and three return to baseline sessions. In the second study, using the same design, each subject was given four or six baseline sessions, four or …

The Effects Of A Self-Directed Behavior Change On Self-Concept, Larry A. Leatham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effects on self-concept as a result of behavior changes made during a self-directed self-modification project were studied on 16 students at Utah State University over a period of nine weeks. Pre and post measures of self-concept administered were the Tennessee Self Concept Scale and the Well-Being Scale from the California Psychological Inventory. The research design employed was the pretest-posttest control group design. A separate analysis of covariance was run for the Total P raw score of the Tennessee Self Concept Scale and raw scores on the Well-Being Scale. The F was substantially short of the value of F needed …

Interpersonal Attitudes Of Suicidal Individuals, Vicki Lee Nelson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to see how suicidal individuals in therapy as compared to nonsuicidal individuals in therapy characteristically report their relations to other people in interpersonal interactions.

One hundred and nineteen individuals were referred to the study by his or her psychotherapist associated with the participating mental health centers in the Salt Lake City and Logan, Utah, vicinities. The following measures were administered to all individuals: the FIRO-B, Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior, two scales, Sociability and Tolerance, from the CPI, California Psychological Inventory, and a brief biographical questionnaire composed of age, sex, marital status, education, religion, and …

The Individual And Collective Relationships Of Levels Of Aspiration. Expectation And Achievement To The Construct Of Self Concept, Mark G. Latham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A review of the literature revealed that while numerous studies exist relative to the self concept, no study was found that addressed itself specifically to the relationship and relative contribution to the self concept of aspirations, expectations and achievements. Therefore, this study was launched addressing itself to the question, "Are aspirations, expectations and achievements related to the construct of self concept?", "to what extent are they related when considered as individual variables, in combinations or as a totality?"

The FitzGibbon Rating Scale (FRS) was used as the criterion variable.

FRS scores were gathered by classroom teachers experienced with the FRS …

Staffing The College Counseling Center To Meet The Needs Of Minority And Female Students, Christine Rickly

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study assessed Utah State University students perceptions of the U.S.U. Counseling Center with regard to meeting students' counseling needs. The study focused on racial background and sex of counselors as significant variables. A written questionnaire was mailed to 420 students. Fifty-three percent of the questionnaires were returned.

The students' impressions of the Counseling Center were generally positive. Caucasian females were more satisfied than Caucasian males. Minority students were least satisfied. Students who had not used the center most often indicated they had no need. Many students lacked information concerning the services and availability of staff of different sex and/ …

An In-Service Education Evaluation Of The Communication Skills Workshop Self-Actualizing Education, Gerald Eldon Manwill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was concerned with the evaluation of a communication skills works hop for elementary school teachers titled, Self-Actualizing Education sponsored by the Psychology Department at Utah State University and funded under a rural development grant from the Kellogg Foundation.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate objectives related to the interaction of students and teachers with regard to: (1) student attitudes towards teachers; (2) student misbehavior; and (3) student-teacher verbal communication. Testing was done on a control-experimental, pre-post basis. The treatment consisted of a nine week communication skills workshop, held two to three hours once per week. Twelve …

Development And Validation Of An Instructional Program To Teach Observational And Recording Skills In Behavior Modification, Gerald D. Hecker, Darlene L. Adams

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A multimedia program for teaching observational and recording skills was developed and validated using a modified research and development model. The program consisted of two slide carousels (192 slides) with accompanying cassette tape and workbook and three super-sound 8 mm cassettes with accompanying manual and monitor's guide. These materials are available through the Instructional Media Center of the Exceptional Child Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah. The model employed two phases to determine program effectiveness. Phase I was concerned with the development and formative evaluation of program materials and procedures. In Phase II the program was validated under field conditions. …

Response Selectivity As A Function Of Developmental Activity Level, Wilford William Beck Iii

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research in hyperactivity has been primarily concerned with demonstrating casual relationships with cerebral dysfunction of the effects of drugs on improving learning performance. Studies which have attempted to focus on other factors influencing learning performance have demonstrated IQ and perceptual motor differences between hyperactive and normal children.

More recently Koegel and Covert have shown that, among a group of autistic children, over-selectivity of components from stimulus complex may adversely influence learning performance on a simultaneous discrimination task. There have been no demonstrations of this phenomena with hyperactive children.

The present study employed a simultaneous discrimination task composed of two stimulus …

Anxiety Correlates Of Sex Role Identity, Mary Kay Biaggio

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in anxiety levels between the sexes and between sex role identification groups (as defined by scores on a test of masculinity-femininity). Possible explanations for these differences were explored using a questionnaire made up of an openness versus closedness scale, a liberalism versus conservatism scale, and a cross-sex versus same-sex parent identification scale.

A sample of 108 females and 71 males was administered Gough's Femininity Scale, Cattell's IPAT Anxiety Scale Questionnaire, Taylor's Manifest Anxiety Scale, and a questionnaire devised for this particular study.

The sexes did not differ significantly in anxiety level …

The Effects Of Increment And Decrement Manipulations On Titration Level Under Interlocking Progressive-Ratio Schedules Of Reinforcement, Dennis Lorbin Nunes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Generally human titration performance under schedules of reinforcement has not been investigated. In an attempt to examine the variables which control titration, an interlocking progressive-ratio schedule was devised. Under an interlocking progressive-ratio schedule, the number of responses required for reinforcement increases by a constant (the increment value) after every ratio, but during each ratio the response requirement can be lowered (the decrement value) by emitting pauses of a specified duration (the stepdown duration).

The first experiment sought to determine if children would titrate when exposed to interlocking progressive-ratio schedules. Although three of the four subjects did not show evidence of …

Performance On An Anagram Task As A Function Of Experimenter Status And Subject Dogmatism, Michele Ballering

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of experimenter status and subject dogmatism on anagram solving. The subjects were 90 college students. Only those subjects scoring in the upper or lower thirds on the Dogmatism Scale were utilized. The same experimenter was described as being of either high or low status in each class. In the low status condition, the experimenter was introduced as a student making up an incomplete, while in the high status condition, the experimenter was introduced as a Doctoral student doing research for a Federal Grant Agency. Therefore, four experimental groups were formed …

The Development And Validation Of Self-Actualizing Education: A Primer For Affective Education, Carolyn G. Barcus

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study describes the development and evaluation of a communications skills course for elementary teacher inservice training. The development and evaluation strategy centered on a research and development (R & D) process. The major steps of the R & D process were: (1) product selection, (2) literature review, (3) prototype planning, (4) development of preliminary prototype, (5) expert appraisal and product revision, (6) main fieldtest, (7) product revision, and (8) operational fieldtest.

The course was composed of 13 communication skills with 20 behavioral objectives and evaluations. Experiences in self-awareness and practical application of the skills presented were stressed.

The purpose …

The Effects Of Concurrently Teaching Parents And Their Children With Learning Adjustment Problems The Principles Of Parent Effectiveness Training, Sterling Andelin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study attempts to determine if concurrently teaching Parent Effectiveness Training principles to parents and their children results in greater effectiveness than teaching the parents only.

The study was performed in the context of the Learning Adjustment School Program sponsored by the Eastern Idaho Community Mental Health Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

The subjects were 35 students in this program who had learning disabilities and/or emotional disturbances. Fifty-two of their parents were also subjects. An experimental group of parents, a control group of parents, an experimental group of children, and a control group of children were selected. The students in …

An Analysis Of Participation And Leadership In A College Seminar, Hugh J. Phillips

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The task of this research was to describe the rates and patterns of verbal behavior emitted in a college seminar, under two leadership conditions, teacher leadership and student leadership. The subjects were 12 college students and the course's associate professor. The data were gathered by using R. F. Bale's interaction process analysis. Results indicate that rates of verbal behavior and numbers and rates of paired student-to-student interaction were higher under student leadership than under teacher leadership. In addition, there was a more equitable distribution of responses under student leadership than under teacher leadership.

Prescorbutic Vitamin C Deficiency And Escape, Avoidance, And Extinction Behavior In Guinea Pigs (Cavia Porcellus), Susan Goodwin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Few studies in the area of psychodietetics have concentrated upon the relationship between a single dietary nutrient and behavior. However, some vitamins have been shown to be particularly important to central nervous system activity. Among these is Vitamin C (ascorbic acid).

Two experiments were done to determine the effects of ascorbic acid deficient diets on a learning task in which guinea pigs were subjects. Learning was defined as acquisition and extinction of shock-escape and shock-avoidance behavior.

In Experiment I, twelve adult guinea pigs were fed diets containing two different deficient amounts of ascorbic acid for six weeks. They were then …

An Investigation Of High And Low Self-Disclosers' Scores On The Holtzman Inkblot Technique, Richard L. Atkins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to see if there are any differences in how high and low self-disclosers score on the Holtzman Inkblot Technique. The study employed a causal-comparative design for descriptive purposes.

Two hundred four college students were given a self-disclosure inventory, and high and low self-disclosers were randomly selected from the highest and lowest interquartile ranges. The fifty subjects were administered the group version of the Holtzman Inkblot Technique.

The results indicated that female high self-disclosers scored significantly higher on Barrier and significantly lower on Hostility than female low self-disclosers.

A Comparative Study Of Gpa Predictability Using The Japq And The Svib, Kathleen A. Peterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis was to compare the results from two vocational interest blanks, the Job Activity Preference Questionnaire (JAPQ) and the Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB) in the prediction of grade point averages (GPA) for university students. An investigation was also made to determine if the variable vocational interest would contribute to a multiple r composed of American College Test (ACT) scores and GPA.

One hundred students were administered both instruments and predictions made of their GPA's after the completion of two quarters of classroom study and after the completion of the most recent quarter of classroom study. …

An Evaluation Of The Guidance Program At Intermountain School, Darwin L. Young

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

Intermountain School in Brigham City, Utah is a coeducational boarding school operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Students are enrolled in one of three programs: Preparation for direct employment, post graduate vocational or technical training, and college.

A small group of students are in a non-graded elementary program; however, most of the new enrollees are of high school age and plan to take courses which will lead to graduation by age nineteen or twenty.

Intermountain School is located at the base of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains in Northern Utah and is considered one of the world's most unique educational …

An Examination Of Navaho Witchcraft And Its Influence On The Thoughts And Actions Of The Navaho People, Tarrel R. Palmer

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

In this paper, I will strive to bring together, both from literature and from my own experiences, pertinent information concerning Navaho witchcraft for the purpose of (1) presenting this information to the education staff at Wingate High School in the form of in-service training and (2) making this same information available to other Navaho high schools. It is hoped that this will help staff members to better understand the beliefs, fears, and emotional turmoils of the students with whom they are working and, thereby, be able to deal with them in a more knowledgeable and understanding manner.

The information presented …

A Longitudinal Study On The Effects Of Stopping Out, Robert Dean Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Inquiries have been made by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education and the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to determine how colleges and universities could meet the financial crisis now being faced. One of the recommendations made by both agencies as a result of their investigations was that curriculum planners at these institutions provide students with opportunities to have off-campus experiences, preferably in their chosen career areas, before they are graduated to determine whether they want to pursue their studies in that area or reorient themselves to other options. These planned stopouts, they suggested, would curtail drifting …

The Development Of Career Exploration Work Simulation Units For Career Education In Grades Seven Through Nine, Gerald Eldon Manwill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to (1) select six vocational areas for Career Exploration Work Simulation Units development, hereafter referred to as CEWSU (2) design mock-up sites for CEWSU construction, (3) specify materials to be used in the mock-up, (4) describe tasks to be completed in the simulation exercises, (5) construct six CEWSU simulation units for placement in junior high school career education programs, (6) gather materials and tools to be used in each of the six CEWSU, (7) develop and program cassette tape instructions and flip charts for the CEWSU, (8) field test the CEWSU, (9) revise the …

The Use Of Token Reinforcement To Facilitate A Therapeutic Style Of Verbal Interaction In Groups Of Psychiatric Patients, Henry G. Martin

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study evaluated the use of a token, operant conditioning technique as a treatment procedure in a group setting with chronic, hospitalized, psychiatric patients. Fifteen patients were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and to one control group; each group included five patients. The two experimental groups received tokens during phases of contingent reinforcement for "Therapeutic Responses" and under a yoked-control phase of non-contingent token reinforcement; the sequence of these phases was the major difference between the two experimental groups. The control group met under conditions of no tokens, and the frequency of "Therapeutic Responses" was recorded on those subjects. …

The Effects Of Awareness On Generalization And Incubation, Edward R. Lyon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the effects of awareness on experimentally induced anxiety. Forty college undergraduates were conditioned with a mild electric shock as the UCS (unconditioned stimulus) and a tone a s the CS (conditioned stimulus). After conditioning, the experimental group was taught to discriminate between the CS and six other tones which were both higher and lower in frequency than the CS. The control group was not given these learning trials. After learning to discriminate the tones, the experimental subjects had a higher GSR (Galvanic Skin Response) to the seven tones as compared to the …

Physiological Responses In Initial Psychological Interviews, Robert R. Perkinson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to determine the physiological responses of subjects to an initial psychological interview, and to study the effect of physical proximity and touch on these responses. Heart rate and total skin conductance variability were the responses monitored. To assess the subjects' like or dislike of the psychologist interviewer, a measure of interpersonal attraction, the Interpersonal Judgment Scale, was employed. The California Psychological Inventory was utilized to investigate possible personality correlates with the physiological responses.

Sixty females, between the ages of 18 and 28, responded to the California Psychological Inventory and were then connected to the …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of A Growth Group And A Behavior Change Group On The Inner-Directedness Of College Students, Larry R. Mccullough

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The primary purpose of this study was to compare the relative effectiveness of two group counseling methods, a self-directed behavior change group and an experiential growth group, for increasing inner-directedness as measured by Shostrom's Personal Orientation Inventory, in college students who were differentiated, on the basis of a pre-treatment measure of inner-directedness, into internals and externals. A second goal was to compare the overall outcome of each method with a no-treatment control group.

Pretest-posttest gain scores on the "I" scale of the Personal Orientation Inventory were obtained for a sample of 72 college students. The data collected were used to …

Effects Of Magnesium Deficiency On Discriminative Avoidance Behavior Of Rats, Mahlon B. Dalley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research was to develop and test a group of predictors that could be used by fundraisers to determine potential corporate support for environmental and recreational programs. Local surveys were conducted to determine environmental and recreational needs for Cache Valley and twenty interviews were held with local corporate managers. The information gathered in these interviews and the literature review provided a list of approximately 20 variables which were narrowed down to 10 to predict both the potential for giving and the level of giving.

A proposal for a youth training project was developed and local Forest Service …