Psychology Commons^™

Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain And Marital Adjustment Effects On The Spouse, Marilyn Matson Jones

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

Chronic musculoskeletal pain can fundamentally alter a marital relationship and have significant effects on marital satisfaction for both the chronic pain patient and spouse. This paper is a critical review of literature on chronic musculoskeletal pain and marital adjustment. Nineteen empirical studies are evaluated and serve as the data base for conclusions and recommendations. Variables which may effect marital satisfaction such as sexual function, spouse solicitousness, effects on the psychological and physical health of the spouse and gender differences are identified. The impact of these variables on marriage and the spouse in particular, is discussed. Implications for further research in …

Predictors Of Change For Parents Who Perceive Improvement In Their Family Functioning Following A Parent-Training Program, Linda Gayle Moore

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of the present study was to determine if perceptions of improved family functioning following a behavioral parenting program could be predicted by educational background, income, and pretest knowledge of behavioral principles. Subjects for the study were parents of elementary-school-aged children who volunteered for the parenting classes. Parents who perceived their families as dysfunctional, as measured by the pretest FACES II, were selected as subjects for the study. Parents whose perceptions of their families improved after the parenting class were then compared with parents who did not perceive improvement in their families on the predictor variables.

The results demonstrated …

The Development Of An Instrument For The Assessment Of Obesity-Related Cognitions, David E. Christian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation involved the design and validation of the Obesity Cognitions Inventory (OCI) which was intended to quantify cognitions associated with obesity. An initial pool of 117 items was refined through expert ratings, a pilot test involving 59 subjects, and a major test and validation using 217 subjects.

The resulting 56-item instrument contains scales measuring five types of cognitions: Personal Control, Dietary Restraint, Cost-Benefit Beliefs, Health Knowledge, and Self-Concept. Test-retest reliabilities for these scales range from .69 to .83 and Cronbach alphas range from .57 to .82. Concurrent criterion validity of the OCI was assessed through two methods (a) correlations …

Utah School Counselors: Present Status, Linda J. Kuwana

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study presented data gathered from Utah school counselors about demographic information, counseling and guidance programs in Utah, certification requirements, future personnel needs, quality and appropriateness of training programs, philosophy of public schools, and needs and/or concerns. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 450 school counselors employed in the State of Utah. Utah school counselors were found to be primarily Caucasians over the age of 36 years. The majority of counselors in Utah were employed in secondary schools. Caseloads for secondary school counselors ranged from 300 to 600 students per counselor, and caseloads for elementary school counselors ranged …

Comparing The Perceptions Of Family And Parenting Between Juvenile Sexual Offenders And Juveniles With No History Of Sexual Offending, Iva W. Trottier

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Juvenile sexual offenders and a matched sample of nonoffending youth were compared on the Family Environment Scale (FES), the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES ill), the Adult Adolescent Parent Inventory (AAPI), and a biographical inventory. The purpose was to determine whether or not juvenile sexual offenders and nonoffenders would prove to have different perceptions of family characteristics and whether the biographical inventory could distinguish between the two groups. "The sample consisted of 95 participants (46 offenders, 49 nonoffenders) in the northern Utah area. The offending population were in outpatient treatment for their sexual offending.

When the participants were …

Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder And Undifferentiated-Attention Deficit Disorder: Differences In Cognitive And Affective Characteristics And Responses To Stimulant Medication, Richard Alan Campbell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The cognitive and affective characteristics and responses to stimulant medication of children who were diagnosed as having attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (AD-HD) or undifferentiated-attention deficit disorder (UADD) were investigated using a pretest-posttest experimental design. Nineteen AD-HD and 17 UADD children were compared using unpaired t-tests, prior to initiation of stimulant medication, on measures of intellectual functioning, impulsivity, problem behavior, and self-reported depression and self-esteem. Children from both the AD-HD (n = 12) and UADD (n = 12) groups were then compared before and after a 3-month trial of stimulant medication on measures of impulsivity, problem behavior, and self-reported depression …

Using Direct Instruction To Teach Compliance To Seriously Noncompliant Students, Hans M. Michielsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research study investigated the effectiveness of a direct instruction program (Treatment 2) for increasing compliance with teachers' instructions in students for whom manipulation of conventional antecedent stimuli and consequences (Treatment 1) had not resulted in adequate compliance. Five students participated in this study. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to evaluate treatment effectiveness. Introduction of Treatment 2 was followed by an increase in compliance by all five participants. The relationship between compliance and other appropriate classroom behaviors, as well as the relationship between compliance and qualitatively good and qualitatively poor instructions, was also investigated. Those relationships were …

Ethical Beliefs And Practices: Do Psychologists Differ From Other Health-Care Professionals, Gary Percival

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ethical codes and principles, and laws govern the behavior of health-care professionals. Yet, the impact that ethical codes and laws have on the actual moral behaviors of health-care professionals is relatively unknown. A survey on the ethical beliefs and practices of health-care professionals was sent to the United States membership of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. AAPB's heterogeneous membership offers a unique opportunity to compare the ethical beliefs and behaviors of professionals across various health-care professions, educational levels, licensure and certification statuses, age, years in practice, and gender. The survey examined the respondents' ethical beliefs and practices in …

Immunophenotyping Of Lymphoid Cells In Autism, L. Jeanne Yonk

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research into the cause of autism continues without any clear-cut answers. However, recent studies suggest that abnormalities of the immune system are associated with this disorder and autism results from failure of the immune system to regulate itself. Proper immune regulation requires that the host have the appropriate number and percentage of each population of lymphocytes and monocytes. These populations can be distinguished from one another with monoclonal antibodies that react with unique protein structures on the cell surface designated as the "cluster of differentiation" (CD) antigens.

This investigation studied the possibility that the immune abnormalities seen in autism are …

Cognitive And Attributional Correlates Of Depression: An Analysis Of The Redundancy Between Beck's Cognitive Triad And Seligman's Attributional Styles, Kent W. Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to examine the degree vi of redundancy between two prominent cognitive theories of depression: Beck's cognitive triad and Seligrnan's attributional triad. Three hundred and eighteen subjects were recruited from nine different psychology courses at Utah State University and affiliated locations across the state. Subjects completed the Cognitive Triad Inventory (CTI), the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).

Results indicate that the three CTI subscales (self, world, and future) and the three ASQ subscales (internal, global, and stable) did not correlate sufficiently to merit integration across measures. However, factor analyses reduced …

National Survey Of Degreed Mental Health Workers Providing Services To American Indian Populations: Identification Of Preferred Theoretical Orientations And Treatment Modalities, Michelle M. Tangimana

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Previous surveys of mental health professionals regarding theoretical orientation and the use of various treatment modalities provided valuable information concerning the nature of mental health delivery but primarily focused on professionals providing services to dominant-culture clientele. The present study focused on those degreed workers whose primary clientele were American Indian. Questionnaires were returned by 140 mental health workers who are American Psychological Association (APA) members of American Indian descent, members of the Society of Indian Psychologists (SIP), employees of the Indian Health Service (IHS), and graduate psychology students. Questionnaire responses were analyzed in terms of orientation and treatment modality for …

The Relationship Between Raw Scores On The Kaufman Assessment Battery For Children And School Attendance For Sioux Children Ages 8-12, Mike Cummings

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A study was conducted to examine one aspect of construct validity for the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC). Forty-eight Sioux children at five age levels (8 to 12.5) were used in this study. Relying on theories of child development, most tests of mental abilities have been constructed so that raw scores will increase with age. Pearson r correlation coefficients between age and raw scores were calculated across five age levels for this sample of Sioux children. The Simultaneous-, Sequential-, and Achievement-scale raw scores significantly correlate with age at the .05 level for a one-tailed test of significance. Number Recall …

A Reliability Study On The Self-Report Behavioral Measure For Evaluating Therapeutic Outcome, Sharon B. Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Statement of the Problem

Because the original reliability study using the Self-Report Behavioral Measure for Evaluating Therapeutic Outcomes (Behavioral Checklist) used college students as subjects, and since the target population for use with this instrument is a client population, there is a need for a reliability study using clients in treatment as subjects.

Objective

The objective of this study was to assess the reliability of the Behavioral Checklist using a client population. The secondary objective was to revise the Behavioral Checklist, if necessary, in order to meet the standards of reliability for testing instruments.

Methods and Procedure

Three reliability measures …

Self-Consciousness And Body Image Issues Among College Females, Mary E. Doty

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined some of the procedures used in eating disorder research. Body size estimation procedures, in light of their similarity to procedures in social psychology, were used to create self-focus and self-consciousness conditions. If the procedures in the present study create self-consciousness effects, it is possible that the results of those studies have been affected by a heightened state of self-awareness. The present research also explored the relationships between self-consciousness, self-esteem, body esteem, body perception, and eating disorder proneness.

The research was conducted with a nonclinical sample from a university population, controlling for age and body development factors. Baseline …

The Effects Of Conditioned Reinforcers On Extinction When Delivered On Schedules Of Extinction, Linda L. Barnard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of the present research was to examine extinction of responding with regard to the rapidity and thoroughness of the process when conditioned reinforcement was available on one of five schedules during extinction. Forty-five mixed-breed pigeons served as subjects with 15 in each of three experiments. Reinforcement training schedules were as follows: Experiment 1, continuous; Experiment 2, fixed ratio 15; Experiment 3, variable-interval one-minute. After training, subjects experienced one of five extinction procedures (here called schedules of extinction) which were as follows: traditional schedule without keylight did not provide conditioned reinforcement; traditional with keylight had the keylight on continuously …

Encouraging Navajo Parents' Involvement In Their Children's Education, Wanda Benale

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The transition of Navajo Indian children from boarding schools to public schools has brought about the challenge of involving parents in their children's education. These people have previously been accustomed to having the education of their children left to the distant schools, with little opportunity for parental involvement. As a consequence, it is often difficult to get these parents to accept the schools' invitations to participate in conferences and other activities when parental involvement is important.

This study reviewed all of the reports that could be found of programs involving Indians and non-Indian parents in their children's education. These programs …

Use Of The Transactional Analysis Ego State Concept To Measure Client Change In Psychotherapy, Judith Emerson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Although transactional analysis (TA) theory has been used by psychotherapists since its introduction by Eric Berne in the 1960s, the ego state functioning constructs, a seminal part of the theory, have not been adequately validated. Previous research has focused on whether therapy using TA methodology works. This study tested the TA ego state constructs by measuring client change occurring during psychotherapy and comparing those changes with predictions from the TA theory.

Fifty-six subjects, who were clients at a university counseling center in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States, were tested before and after therapy using two standardized instruments, …

The Development And Validation Of A System For The Knowledge-Based Tutoring Of Special Education Rules And Regulations, Mark S. Thornburg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research indicates that school officials fail to identify a relatively high proportion of school-aged children with behavioral or emotional handicaps. As a result, these children may not be receiving the special education services to which they are entitled. Multidisciplinary team members may be failing to identify these children because they lack understanding of special education rules and regulations. The purpose of this project was to combine the technologies of expert systems and mastery-based instruction to develop an inservice and preservice training program capable of producing mastery-level performance of the skills required to identify children with behavioral or emotional handicaps. Borg …

An Experimental Analysis Of Second-Order Conditioned Taste Aversion: Drug Pairing Facilitated Through Excitation Of Geotactic Behavior, John H. Gatling

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In two experiments, second-order conditioned taste aversion techniques were employed to develop aversions in rats, with a geotactic-excitation procedure as the independent variable. Periodic tilting of an experimental apparatus resulted in angular orientation changes of all subjects located within compartments of the chamber. The effect was excitation of geotactic behaviors, expressed as locomotor activity within the confines of these compartments.

In the first experiment, two groups of rats (n = 6) were exposed to experimental protocols which were identical with the exception of the independent variable. Three conditioning trials were presented, separated by five to seven days, within which …

Assessing Depressive Symptoms In Adolescent Boys: Pre- Versus Postpubescent, Delinquent Versus Nondelinquent, David P. Defrancesco

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to compare depressive symptoms reported by boys who were either pre- or postpubescent and who were legally designated delinquent or had no legal histories. A self-report puberty scale and a semi-structured interview (the Child Assessment Schedule-CAS) were administered to 48 boys. Results were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Significance levels between groups were examined with Duncan's range test. No significant differences were found between pre- and postpubescent boys for reporting depressive symptoms, but delinquent youths were found to report significantly more depressive symptoms than nondelinquent youths. The implications of these results are discussed …

An Experimental Analysis Of Higher-Order Stimulus Control In Humans, Michael B. Gatch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation explored sane effects of context on the development of stimulus classes and the transfer of stimulus functions to novel stimuli. The research was also intended to demonstrate the utility of current behavioral theories for prediction and control of contextual effects on class formation. In Experiment lA, contextual control of stimulus classes was established successfully in all six college-student subjects. Matching-to-sample training successfully transferred the function of the contextual stimuli to four novel stimuli, whim resulted in the formation of two three-member classes of contextual stimuli. The first portion of Experiment 1B replicated Experiment 1A with three additional subjects. …

The Examination Of Variables That Influence Response Rates To Mailed Questionnaires, Anuradha Parthasarathy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The intent of this research was to examine variables that might influence the response rates to mailed questionnaires. The variables examined were the socioeconomic statuses of the subjects, the time of payment of a monetary incentive, and the amount of payment. Subjects were 375 residents of Cache County, Utah, selected from three levels of socioeconomic status. The subjects were selected on the basis of information they provided about their income and education levels during a telephone interview. Subjects within each level of socioeconomic status were further divided into four treatment groups and one control group. All groups were mailed the …

Facts And Feelings Series For Parents, Unknown Unknown

All Archived Publications

Packet that gives instructions to parents about talking to teens about common issues they face.

Facts And Feelings Series For Teens, Unknown Unknown

All Archived Publications

Series developed for teens on how to deal with common issues that they face.

A Method For Knowledge Engineering In Clinical Decision Making, Sheila S. Giere

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to validate the problem behavior evaluation section of an expert system computer program, Class.BD. Class.BD was developed to assist special education personnel in determining whether students qualify for special education services as behaviorally disordered/severely emotionally disturbed students.

The subjects were six Utah who regularly individuals from the state of 1) work with behaviorally disordered/severely emotionally disturbed students and 2) participate in multidisciplinary assessment teams. Three of the subjects were special educators, and three were school psychologists.

Specifically, this study investigated the impact of five behavioral factors on the subjects' ratings of the seriousness of …

Socio-Behavioral Correlates Of 6- To 11-Year-Old Offspring Of Alcohol Consuming Parents, Jan Garver Bacon

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There is a lack of simple random sample based research into whether there are social skill and behavior problem differences for six- to eleven-year-old boys and girls which correlate with rates of parental alcohol consumption, social sequelae of parental alcohol consumption, reported level of marital conflict, and extended family history of alcoholism.

This simple random sample study correlates the above variables with T scores on the behavior problem and social competence scales of the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist and Child Behavior Checklist - Teacher's Report Form for six- to eleven-year-old children (N=100). Behavior problem scales include disorders of affect, thought, …

Mental Status And Functional Behavior In Male Geriatric Patients, Gregory Lee Mayer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

It was the goal of this study to examine the ecological validity of a number of measures of mental status for geriatric individuals. Subjects were 40 alert, ambulatory male VA patients. Mental status instruments included the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) and the Vocabulary subtest of the WAIS-R. Measures of functional behavior included the Woodcock-Johnson Scales of Independent Behavior (SIB) and the Parachek Geriatric Behavior Rating Scale (PGBRS). Significant relationships were found between the MMSE and the SIB, between the WMS and the SIB, and between the WMS and the PGBRS. It was found that estimation …

Public School Preschool For Disadvantaged Children: Program Quality And Long-Term Effects, Ellen Frede

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Although preschool for disadvantaged children is strongly supported nationally as a beneficial endeavor, the research that underlies this support has mostly been limited to small-scale, high-quality experiments. Some have questioned the ability of public schools to provide similar experiences for young children and to produce long-term effects. This study is a long-term follow-up in first-grade children who attended preschool in a statewide public school program. The classrooms were observed to assess the quality of treatment. It was determined that children who attended classrooms that provided medium- to high-quality experiences outperformed those in poor-quality classrooms, as well as comparison children who …

Bilingual Education: What It Could Mean On The Navajo Reservation, Berniece A. Blackhorse

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

It provides the learner the advantage of participating and functioning in two cultures , socially and academically. Amid all the controversy, the educational system is attempting to provide meaningful education for the limited English proficient students. 'The primary recommendation of this paper is that bilingual programs focus on the needs of the second language learner, with cautions regarding the use of experimental programs.

A Guide In Working With Elementary-Aged Navajo Children Of Alcoholic Parents, George Ray Henry

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

Programs which provide intervention services for children of alcoholics are very new and in their developing stages nationwide. Despite this, the need for such programs exists, particularly on the Navajo Reservation. All available literature was reviewed that relates to the state-of-the-art in programming for intervention with children of alcoholic parents. Programs in use with children are described and the rationale for adapting such programs for use with Navajo children is discussed. A Navajo intervention pilot program for children of alcoholics is outlined.