Psychology Commons^™

The Effectiveness Of Feedback Procedures On Machine Set-Up Time In A Manufacturing Setting, Connie J. Wittkopp

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a treatment package designed to improve and maintain set-up time in the extrusion department of a rubber manufacturing company. Subjects were exposed to various behavioral techniques including training and a feedback system in the form of both written and verbal supervisory comments with an emphasis placed on improving performance through use of videotaping. An attempt was made to maintain treatment gains by teaching supervisors how to give information concerning set-up performance to their employees. Results indicate that average weekly set-up times for each machine were significantly below baseline …

An Analysis Of Four Empathy Variables As Predictors Of Marital Satisfaction, Teck Seong Chee

Masters Theses

The objective of this study was to determine if empathy was predictive of marital satisfaction, and which, if any, of the four empathy variables from Davis' Interpersonal Reactivity Index (1980), would serve as predictors of marital satisfaction. Correlation and regression analyses were used to evaluate the relationships of fantasy, empathic concern, perspective taking and personal distress with marital satisfaction. Variables of secondary interest included those of sex. birth order, length of marriage and age married. Both Individuals and couples were used as units of analysis.

Empathic concern and perspective taking were found to be predictors of marital satisfaction. No significant …

Choice Responding In Pigeons Exposed To Sequences Of Fixed-Ratio Schedules: Effects Of Multiple Components, Susan Goeters

Masters Theses

The present study used a discrete-trials procedure to examine choice in pigeons presented with two- to five-component sequences of fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement. Results of the first phase indicate that the majority of choice responses were allocated to the schedule containing the shorter initial fixed-ratio component regardless of the number of components assayed. These findings support the notion that temporally prior reinforcers minimize the effects of subsequent reinforcers and overall response requirements. Phase two findings indicate, however, that under some conditions, fixed-ratios other than the first, lawfully, although weakly, influence choice.

Stimulus Overselectivity: An Investigation Of Determinants, Margaret T. Mcglinchey

Dissertations

Stimulus overselectivity refers to a phenomenon in which, after discrimination training with a multiple component stimulus, behavior fails to come under the control of all of the components of the stimulus. After a screening process based on past research, a group of children with specific learning disabilities was categorized into one of two groups: overselective and non-overselective. Both groups were exposed to training and testing for generalization. All children in both groups evidenced "stimulus overselectivity" during these tests for generalization. Generalization training subsequently reduced stimulus overselectivity for all students. There were few differences between the two groups. The results suggest …

The Effects Of Spouse-Based Cognitive-Behavior Therapy On The Treatment Of Agoraphobia, Joan Woods

Dissertations

The purpose of this clinical research was to determine whether spouse-supported treatment of agoraphobia would result in greater improvement on measures of exposure and avoidance than would individual treatment or no treatment. It was hypothesized that Couples Treatment subjects would demonstrate a significantly greater change from pretest to posttest than would Individual Treatment subjects or No-Treatment Control subjects. The study further predicted that significant improvements would be demonstrated for both treated groups on the same outcome measures, pretest to posttest and from pretest to follow-up.

Total N was 10 subjects, all were agoraphobic, married, and female, with 4 in Couples …

Effects Of Terminal-Link Response Topography On Choice Behavior Under Concurrent-Chains Schedules, Stephen P. Starin

Dissertations

Previous research has indicated that both absolute response rate and choice behavior differs under concurrent chains requiring different terminal-link responses, even when the reinforcement schedules are nominally identical. To date, no studies have investigated responding under concurrent chains with unequal schedules and different topographies arranged in the terminal links. Moreover, although the delay-reduction hypothesis has been widely tested using concurrent chains in which the same response topography is required in all links, the generality of the delay-reduction hypothesis in describing performance when different terminal-link topographies are required has yet to be examined. The present study was designed to address both …

Effects Of Response Requirements And Reinforcement Probability On The Latency To Depress A Foot Treadle, Terri Deborah Starin

Masters Theses

Previous studies have shown response latency to be a sensitive measure of die effects of many experimental manipulations. However, when key pecking is the required response topography, it is difficult to ascertain whether latency is exclusively due to the effects of the independent variable or is confounded by respondent influences. The present study attempts to separate operant from respondent influences on response latency by requiring a response topography that is unlikely to have respondent components. Three pigeons responded under a multiple fixed-rado fixed-ratio schedule of food delivery with a 5 s intertrial interval separating trials. For two subjects, the independent …

Utilizing Daily Repertoire Behavior To Facilitate The Acquisition Of Generalized Imitation In Profoundly Mentally Retarded Adults, Scott A. Kremser

Masters Theses

Two procedures were compared in teaching the skill of generalized imitation. One procedure incorporated some of the subject's daily behavior repertoire into the imitation training paradigm. Another similar procedure utilized non-repertoire responses during training. Two male profoundly mentally retarded adults were trained with each procedure. Overall, the acquisition of generalized imitation was facilitated by incorporating daily repertoire behaviors into the imitation training packages. Statistical analysis revealed a significant difference in levels of generalized imitation as a function of training condition. Results were variable across subjects however, and it is questionable whether the difference is clinically significant. Further and more refined …

The Discriminative Stimulus Properties Of Ethosuximide In The Pigeon, Rodney D. Clark

Masters Theses

After initial exposure to 80 mg/kg ethosuximide, pigeons trained in a two-key drug discrimination procedure rapidly learned to discriminate 120 mg/kg ethosuximide from saline. When 40 to 160 mg/kg doses of ethosuximide were administered during generalization tests, the percentage of the responses directed to the ethosuximide-appropriate key varied directly with dose. Time-effect determinations revealed that the discriminable properties of ethosuximide were evident as early as 15 min after, and as late as 2 hrs after, intramuscular injection. The discriminative stimulus properties of ethosuximide failed to generalize to the anticonvulsant compounds clonazepam (0.5-4 mg/kg), methsuximide (25-200 mg/kg), and phenytoin (5-15 mg/kg). …

Factors That Relate To Job Retention For Former Welfare Recipients, Lisa Spadafore

Masters Theses

This descriptive study attempted to determine the factors that relate to job retention for former welfare recipients. Welfare recipients (15 women and 17 men), who were participating in a job club program, completed the Wonderlic Personnel Test (Wonderlic, 1985), the 16 Personality Factors Test (Eber, Cattell, & IPAT Staff, 1985), and a Background/Monetary Questionnaire. Thirty-two clients who obtained jobs were divided into two groups, those who retained their job for 90 days (n = 21) and those who did not (n = 11). Of the 31 factors analyzed, four showed a statistically significant relationship with job retention; amount of jail …

Repeated Acquisition With The Developmentally Disabled, Jeannie Madsen

Masters Theses

Repeated-acquisition data were obtained from four developmentally disabled adults. The task was selecting the poker chip with the sticker on its underside in a sequence of sets of chips. When a sequence was mastered (four consecutive errorless runs) the subjects were given a new sequence to learn. Money was reinforcement for correct sequence completion. Total errors before mastery was the dependent variable.

In Phase 1 the subjects completed as many sequences as possible during each 15-minute session. Errors per sequence was a reasonably stable dependent variable within subjects, and between-subject differences were what would be expected on the basis of …

Self-Control: Effects Of Ratio Size, Intra-Delay Reinforcers, And Response Requirement, Elbert Q. Blakely Jr.

Dissertations

This study tested the following hypotheses: (a) The preference reversal phenomenon will be found when the delays to reinforcement are defined by fixed-ratio schedules, (b) The preference reversal phenomenon will be observed when intra-delay reinforcers are programmed, and (c) Imposing response requirements during the delay to reinforcement will affect preference for a larger delayed reinforcer over a smaller more immediate reinforcer. In Experiment 1, pigeons chose between two schedules, each a sequence of two fixed-ratio schedules. The second schedule of one sequence offered a small reinforcer and the second schedule of the alternative offered a larger reinforcer. The latter sequence …

The Effects Of A Wilderness/Adventure Program On The Self-Concept, Locus Of Control Orientation, And Interpersonal Behavior Of Delinquent Adolescents, Timothy J. Zwart

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 26-day therapeutic wilderness program for delinquent adolescent males on three conceptually distinct but closely related constructs: self-concept, locus of control orientation, and interpersonal behavior. Justification for the study was derived from the limitations of past wilderness/adventure research which suggested that there was a need for additional research on the effects of this type of alternative program for delinquent adolescents.

It was hypothesized that following participation in this program the youths would exhibit increased self-concept, more internal locus of control orientation, would express higher needs for inclusion and affection …

Training Mildly Retarded Adults To Generate Effective Solutions To Daily Living Problems, Dennis Munk

Masters Theses

Two mildly mentally retarded adults, living in a semi-independent residential program received training in solving common social problems. The subjects were trained to perform five problem-solving component skills: (1) identifying the problem, (2) defining a goal, (3) evaluating a solution, (4) evaluating alternative solutions, and (5) selecting a best solution. The five component skills were trained in sequence, as a multiple-baseline across skill behaviors design. It was hypothesized that the training program would successfully improve the subjects' ability to perform the component skills when solving trained and unfamiliar problems. The unfamiliar problems were included to test generalization of skill. The …

Ratio Pausing And The Determination Of Discriminative Operant Latencies, Thomas M. Bell

Dissertations

The latency between discriminative stimulus onset and initiation of a corresponding ratio requirement (RR) was studied in pigeons using a two-key discrete-trial procedure with three-component multiple schedules. The two-key procedure allowed measurement of response-reinforcer relations on a "constant" key, and stimulus-reinforcer relations on a "stimulus" key. The first experiment showed regular between-session effects as equivalent fixed-ratio (FR) components were raised over several phases and then lowered. A direct relation was observed between latency and RR for each of ten subjects. Initial stimulus-key pecking showed several trends, the most prevalent being an inverse relation to RR.

Experiment 2 demonstrated within-session separations …

Hemispheric Brain Laterality Of Perception Of Tachistoscopically Presented Erotic Stimuli By Male And Female College Students, Randall Warne Stewart

Masters Theses

The effects of hemispheric asymmetry on the perception of erotic stimuli presented in either of the two visual fields was investigated. Freshmen and Sophomore college students, 20 males and 27 females, were used as subjects in the study. Subjects were bilaterally presented with combinations of erotic, neutral, and blank visual field stimuli using a "split visual field" procedure for a total of 96 200 msec. presentations. Subjects were asked to rate the presentations on a scale of 1 to 5; 1 was equal to neutral and 5 was equal to very erotic. Males and females rated erotic stimuli presented in …

Drug Use And Abuse: A Survey Of Mentally Retarded Citizens In Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Sandra Ann Burdick

Masters Theses

An abundant array of research in the area of drug use and abuse among various populations has been conducted in recent years. These studies have determined that although several demographic variables affect the prevalence of drug use, all segments of society who have access to drugs are at some risk. Whether relative risk is influenced by subaverage intelligence is unclear, however, for very little has been done to determine the prevalence of drug use and abuse among the mentally retarded.

In this survey methods were utilized to gather such information in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. A survey return rate of 73% …

An Attendance Incentive Procedure Using Group Contingencies, Norman Kevin Brown

Masters Theses

This study used a multiple baseline design to examine the effect of a lottery-based group contingency on unscheduled sick leave (USL) use by residential treatment workers. Sixty direct-care workers participated in this study. Researchers employed a group contingency that required workers to meet 2-week absence criterion levels in order to participate in a subsequent reinforcement lottery. The workers who won the lottery chose one of four rewards including 20 dollars, 4 hours paid time-off, lunch with a supervisor, and four movie tickets. The mean number of USL hours used in each of five work units was reduced significantly during intervention. …

An Evaluation Of The Effects Of An Infant-Care Skills Training Program On Fathering Behaviors, G. Joseph Vrazo

Masters Theses

This study replicated the findings and expanded the assessment procedures of a previous study that had established the effectiveness of a multi-component infant-care skills training program for first-time fathers. A multiple probe design was used in this study to demonstrate that the training program produced criterion performance of the infant-care skills by four experimental fathers; also, an increase in the frequency of infant stimulation activities initiated by these fathers was observed. A pre/post training evaluation of the effects of the training program on the fathers' performance of play and affectional behaviors and daily infant-care activities yielded negative results. Four control …

The Effects Of Altruism On Activity Productivity In Elderly Women In Skilled-Care Nursing Facilities, Carol J. Getz

Masters Theses

This study investigated altruism as a factor in productivity in elderly women. Eight groups of institutionalized elderly women (n = 33) stenciled personalized (initials) stationery. Groups were randomly assigned to either the non-altruistic condition or the altruistic condition; there was control for time of day and location of the activity. Subjects in the non-altruistic condition made stationery for themselves, while subjects in the altruistic condition made stationery for abused children living in an innercity. The number of pieces of stationery produced and the duration of time engaged in activity were recorded for each subject. Mann-Whitney U tests revealed that subjects …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of A Low Glycemic Diet On The Antisocial Behavior Of Juvenile Offenders, James Edward Longhurst

Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine if a low glycemic diet contributes to a reduction in the incidence of antisocial behavior among male juvenile offenders.

One hundred forty juvenile offenders at a residential treatment center were randomly divided into treatment and nontreatment groups. The treatment group ate from a diet which contained foods low in glycemic characteristics. There was no dietary alteration for the control group.

Three instruments were used to measure differences between groups in antisocial behavior following a 5-week experimental period. These instruments include: (1) the Unusual Incident Report--a systematic and objective observer report form, (2) …

Minimizing Stimulus-Reinforcer Contributions To Operant Latency, Mario Miguel Delgado Zambrano

Masters Theses

The present study involved two experiments using an unlighted food hopper. The first provided magazine training with the darkened hopper, followed by a test for autoshaping potential. The second, using birds that showed very little autoshaped behavior in the first experiment, and continuing to use the unlighted hopper, measured operant latencies in a Hesse (1984) discrete-trial multiple schedule using a two-key procedure for separating stimulus-reinforcer and response-reinforcer contributions. The objective here was to demonstrate latency differences between favorable and unfavorable schedule components, while limiting the possible confound of stimulus-reinforcer contributions as measured by initial stimulus-key responding.

Despite being unable to …

A Comparison Of Retail Sales Performance Under Individual And Group Quota Systems, Karen Beth Bishop

Masters Theses

The research goal of this study was to determine if changing from an individual to a group quota system changed variability in sales performance. Data were collected within three branches of the company. Within subject and within group variances were calculated using salesclerk's sales figures. Three months of 1986 represented individual quota figures, while the same three months of 1987 represented group quota figures. Results of the within group variance found two departments had a variance decrease and one department had a variance increase. Cumulative sales for both systems found decreases in sales using the group quota system for two …

Preventing The "All But Thesis" Phenomenon, Maria Emma Garcia

Dissertations

Twenty-three to 54% of the students who enter graduate programs never obtain their degrees. A high percentage of those students drop out after the completion of all the academic requirements except their master's theses or doctoral dissertations. The literature makes reference to the "all but thesis" (ABT) and the "all but dissertation" (ABD) phenomenon.

The present study involved the implementation of a research supervisory system designed to help students complete their theses and dissertations, therefore preventing the ABT and ABD problems. Twenty-nine graduate students in psychology formed the research supervisory group and 53 graduate students from several departments formed a …

Treatment Of Spasticity Via Transcranial Electrical Stimulation In Persons With Cerebral Palsy And Severe Mental Retardation, George A. Thompson Jr.

Dissertations

Although the clinical manifestations of cerebral palsy are many and varied, spasticity is a common aspect of the disorder, observed in as many as 75% of all cases (Paneth & Kiely, 1984). A double-blind and placebo-controlled and counter balanced reversal design was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of transcranial electrical stimulation (TCS) in the treatment of spastic cerebral palsy in six severely mentally impaired individuals. Although there appeared to be some improvement from pre to post measures, a comparison of the placebo and treatment conditions yielded results indicating that transcranial electrical stimulation did not increase the passive range of motion …

The Effects Of Music Videos On Adolescent Females Self-Concept And Body-Image, David Scott Eggli

Masters Theses

Music videos are a phenomenon of the 1980s. Their striking imagery, flashy choreography, sexy clothing, and quick cuts have attracted a huge audience of adolescents and changed the face of the fashion industry. If rock stars and music videos can attract millions of teenage viewers and change the style of clothes worn, they may also affect a teenager's self-concept and body-image.

The subjects in this research project were 18 adolescent females between the ages of 12 and 17. The subjects viewed either music videos or G-rated movies. The Piers Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale served as the dependent variable for pretest …

The Effects Of Magnitude Of Extrinsic Reinforcement On Intrinsic Interest: An Experimental Analysis, Brian Howard Gribler

Masters Theses

The present study examined the effect that three magnitudes of extrinsic reinforcement had on wheel running following the termination of reinforcement. After an initial baseline period, three groups of rats were assigned to one of three conditions: a variable interval 60 second schedule of reinforcement, a variable time 60 second schedule of reinforcement, or a control condition. Each subject in the reinforcement groups was exposed to three different magnitudes of reinforcement. Each reinforcement phase was followed by a return to baseline. The results indicated that contingent reinforcement increased wheel running although rates were comparable for all magnitudes of reinforcement. No …

Differential Response Latencies Using Auditory Stimuli, Albert Edward Neal

Dissertations

Previous research has identified and isolated the elicited (autoshaped) control of pigeons' response latencies. The present research, using auditory frequencies as discriminative stimuli, was designed to eliminate the intrusion of this elicited control.

Two experiments are presented, both using a discrete-trial, two-component multiple schedule. In Experiment 1, in which a two-key arrangement was used, pigeons were required to peck a continuously-illuminated left key when one of two different frequencies, each correlated with a different amount of reinforcement, was presented behind the illuminated right key. In Experiment 2, in which a three-key arrangement was used, pigeons were required to peck either …

The Effects Of Methsuximide And Mephenytoin On The Repeated Acquisition Performance Of Pigeons, Dawn D. Delaney

Masters Theses

Learning impairment is a potentially serious side effect of antiepilepsy medications. The present study investigated the effects of methsuximide and mephenytoin on learning in pigeons performing under a repeated acquisition procedure. Given acutely, methusuximide (25, 50, 75, 100 mg/kg) and mephenytoin (60, 120, 240 mg/kg) produced generally dose-dependent decreases in rates of responding; increases in percent errors were largest at doses that produced the greatest decrease in response rate. An analysis of the within-session distribution of errors revealed that certain

Assessment And Training Of Visual And Tactual Stimulus Equivalence, Brooke Ann Rigney

Masters Theses

Visual-tactual equivalence was examined within the stimulus equivalence paradigm originally developed by Sidman in studies of verbal behavior (1971). Experiment I assessed for equivalence between tactually and visually presented objects. In Experiment II, colors and textures were added to the objects and the effect of modality distinctive stimuli on equivalence was examined. Experiment III then studied the establishment of equivalence with these modality distinctive stimuli using the Sidman stimulus equivalence paradigm.

Visual-tactual equivalence was demonstrated in Experiment I. Experiment II demonstrated that equivalence could be disrupted by modality distinctive stimuli. Experiment III then showed that equivalence could be demonstrated between …