Psychology Commons^™

Ease Of Learning And The Emergence Of Equivalence Class Formation: A Comparison Of Topography-Based And Selection-Based Paradigms, Riad M. Wraikat

Dissertations

Michael (1985) identified two types of verbal behavior, topography-based (i.e., speaking or using sign language) and selection-based (i.e., symbol board). Sundberg & Sundberg (1990) and Wraikat (1991) compared these systems in terms of the ease of learning object naming (tact) and giving the correct sign or pointing to the correct symbol on hearing the object name (intraverbal). Sundberg & Sundberg (1990) also compared them for the spontaneous development of a new relation, identifying the object when hearing its name (stimulus class formation or equivalence). The results of both studies favored the topography-based system, but in each case some subjects were …

Effects Of Differential Force Requirements On Choice Behavior Under Concurrent-Chain Schedules, Randal D. Reynolds

Dissertations

Concurrent-chain research shows that choice behavior is sensitive to differential delays to reinforcement but apparently insensitive to differential response-requirement factors. To date, however, no studies have directly investigated the effects of differential force requirements on choice behavior under concurrent-chain schedules. This relationship will be the focus of the present study.

In Experiment 1 rats responded on conventional concurrent-chain schedules and were given a choice between different terminal-link force requirements. The force requirement on one terminal-link lever was 0.25 N while the force requirement on the other lever was varied from 0.25 N to 1.51 N across conditions. For comparative purposes, …

Effects Of Interactive And Linear Video On Patient Understanding Of Risks In Medical Procedures, Christopher P. Giuliano

Dissertations

Three methods of providing information relevant to informed consent where a vaginal birth after cesarean section was being considered were evaluated; (1) the traditional and common method (physician presentation), (2) Linear Video Tape (LVT), and (3) Interactive Video Disc (IVD). The traditional and common method of presenting information led to only limited acquisition of knowledge resulting in patients making less than fully-informed decisions. Both the linear video tape and the interactive video disc led to significantly greater understanding of the risks and benefits of the procedure than did the physician presentation. The interactive disc and the linear video tape were …

The Effects Of Methylphenidate On The Repeated Acquisition Performance Of Children With Attention Deficit Disorder, Christopher P. Giuliano

Dissertations

The effects of methylphenidate on the repeated acquisition performance of three children between the ages of 9 and 13 were examined. The repeated acquisition task was programmed on a micro computer and daily doses of 0.6 mg/kg and 1.0 mg/kg of methylphenidate were compared with an active placebo (caffeine). There was no discernible effect for two of the subjects. One subject showed only a very slight facilitative effect at the 1.0 mg/kg dose, using trials-to-criterion as the dependent measure. Methylphenidate had no effect on errors or rate of responding for any of the subjects. Teacher ratings of behavior indicated improvement …

The Training Of Initial Behavioral Assessment Interview Skills, Mark J. Hirsch

Dissertations

Two manuals were used to train behavioral assessment interview skills. The first manual outlined eleven initial responses the therapist must make to determine the controlling variables related to a client’s problem. The second manual outlined strategies for dealing with evasive or nonappropriate responses made by a client. Subjects were graduate students from the psychology department of Western Michigan University who had no experience in conducting assessment interviews. Six subjects participated. Simulated therapy sessions between subjects acting as therapists and confederates acting as clients were conducted. Scripts were utilized to standardize confederate responses. Each session dealt with a clinical concern amenable …

Contrived Versus Natural Reinforcers In The Acquisition Of A Verbal Repertoire By Adult Learners, Lisa Ann Leblanc

Dissertations

Previous research suggests that by making classroom contingencies for verbal responding more like those in the natural environment, i.e., by using motivative variables to evoke verbal responses which are followed by specific actions on the part of listeners, verbal repertoires can be taught more effectively to children and language impaired individuals. The present study examines the role of specific versus generalized conditioned reinforcement following adult students' question-asking on the acquisition of a verbal repertoire in a classroom setting and on the generalization of this repertoire to a more natural verbal environment.

Subjects were 32 university students in two American Sign …

Effects Of Training Method On Inspector Accuracy In A Simulated Quality Control Task, Cathy L. Thorne

Dissertations

This study compared the effects of three training programs on inspector accuracy. The inspection task required 38 subjects to detect errors in geometric figures. All three training programs provided the same written descriptions of correct and incorrect figures, and all three training programs provided examples of correct figures. What differed among the programs was the type of incorrect figures. Individuals assigned to the Correct Sample Only Group were not shown any incorrect figures. Individuals assigned to the Critical Differences Group were shown incorrect figures which contained only one error at a time. Individuals assigned to the Multiple Differences Group were …

A Comparison Of Three Procedures For The Establishment Of A Novel Response With Delayed Reinforcement, Jayson W. Wilkenfield

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to compare three procedures for examining the degree to which delayed response-dependent presentations of food would result in the acquisition of lever-pressing in rats. Although there is an abundance of research examining the maintenance of behavior with delayed reinforcement, few studies have investigated reinforcement delays in the acquisition of new discrete behaviors. Historically two different procedures have been employed in the study of delayed reinforcement. In a nonresetting delay procedure a response sets up the delivery of a reinforcer to occur after t seconds, and responses that may occur during the delay interval …

Choice By Rats For Enriched Versus Standard Home Cages Plastic Pipes, Wood Platforms, Wood Chips, And Paper Towels As Enrichment Items, Anita Lynn Bradshaw

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether simple additions to the home cages of rats made those cages preferable to standard housing arrangements. Results indicated that the majority of rats preferred cages with wood platforms, wood chips, and paper towels to otherwise identical cages without these items. Wood chips were not, however, practical with the cages used in the present study. Plastic pipes caused no problems but were not preferred by the majority of individual animals. Both wood platforms and paper towels created no problems and appeared to be useful as enrichment items. The latter were preferred …

Cognitive Distortions And Loneliness: Does Changing Negative Thoughts Affect Loneliness?, James Anthony Keyes

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Selection Bias Against The Employment Of Obese Adults, Regina. Pingitore

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Behavioral Measures Of Auditory Processing In The Chinchilla: A Comparison Of Frequency Selectivity Derived From Critical Masking Ratios And Rippled Noise Masking, Andrew J. Niemiec

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Nueropsychological Motor Functioning In Children With Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus During Euglycemia And After A Mild Hypoglycemic Episode, Kim M. Dell'angela

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Family Functioning, Socialization, Ego Development, And Aggressiveness In Juvenile Delinquent Girls, Cindy Joan Nowinski

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No abstract provided.

Aggressive Characteristics Of Sexually Abused Girls, Adelaide Molaro Lang

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No abstract provided.

Myers Briggs Type Indicator Styles And Cognitive Performance, Gary Mitchell Jaworski

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No abstract provided.

Diagnostic And Onset Of Symptomatology Predictors Of Adolescent Hospitalization Patterns, Mary Gonzalez Jaworski

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Within-Subject And Between-Subjects Evaluation Of The Effects Of Hallucinogenic Drugs In Pigeons Responding Under Two Variations Of A Fixed-Consecutive-Number Schedule, Rodney D. Clark

Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was twofold: To determine the effects of LSD (0.03 - 1.0 mg/kg), mescaline (0.3 - 5.6 mg/kg), and DMT (0.3 - 3.0 mg/kg) on the performance of pigeons under two variants on an FCN schedule and to determine whether these effects differed substantially as a result of experimental design (i.e., within subject or between-subjects). Under this schedule, food was delivered whenever subjects responded between eight and 12 times on one response key (work key), then responded once on a second key (reinforcement key). Under one version, (FCN-S^D), an external discriminative stimulus was correlated with …

Stimulus-Specific And Stimulus-Nonspecific Reinforcement: Effects On Tact Training With Severely Mentally Impaired Young Adults, Steven J . Braam

Dissertations

The effects of specific or similar physical properties between discriminative stimuli and reinforcers in tact training were studied. Stimulus-specific reinforcement and stimulus-nonspecific reinforcement conditions were compared using a matched-groups design. When subjects correctly tacted in the former condition, the experimenter gave reinforcers with identical physical properties to the training stimuli. When subjects correctly tacted in the latter condition, the experimenter delivered reinforcers with different physical properties from the nonverbal training stimulus.

The subjects demonstrated no overall differences in learning trials. Only one subject, trained with stimulus- specific reinforcement learned tacts in consistently fewer trials than his counterpart trained with stimulus-nonspecific …

The Effects Of Relapse Prevention Training On Exercise Adherence, Sandra Beaty

Dissertations

Behavioral techniques have proven effective in the acquisition and maintenance of new behaviors. However, health related behaviors, such as exercise, pose a special problem for the field of behavior change in that they require long-term lifestyle changes. This study assessed the effectiveness of relapse prevention training on exercise adherence within the framework of a formal exercise program. There were 20 subjects in the experimental group and 20 subjects in the control group. Both groups met for three, one-hour sessions weekly for eight consecutive weeks. Exercise class attendance was recorded by the instructor. In addition, the Physical Activity Index (PAI, n.d., …

The Effects Of Accountability Procedures On The Productivity Of Academic Performance Contractors In An Academic Support Program, Brian Delano Yancey

Dissertations

The purpose of the research was to evaluate the effects of accountability procedures on the productivity of performance managers in an academic support program. The contractors were responsible for supporting the academic performance of high-risk students enrolled in a one-credit-hour self-management course. The contractors awarded students points that counted toward their self-management course grade when the students produced assignments of value in their content courses. Prior research had shown that students sometimes performed poorly in the self-management course and that the contractors were often unsuccessful in helping these students improve their grades. Consequently, the experimenter speculated that the amount of …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of Differential Behavioral Strategies On Therapeutic Compliance: Making And Keeping Appointments, Shara Johnson

Dissertations

The present research grew out of a larger study, The Transgenerational Project for Parents and Children (TG) (Epps, 1986), which was conducted at the Howard University Child Development Center in Washington, D.C. This study provided the model for simultaneously addressing the needs of parents as well as their preadolescent children who exhibited specific learning disabilities that significantly decreased achievement levels. The present research compares the effectiveness of combining behavioral strategies, which previous research has shown to individually contribute toward enhancing patient compliance, in order to increase parental compliance with referrals for child psychotherapy.

Twenty-one parents or guardians of children whose …

A Comparison Of The Effects Of A Linear And An Exponential Performance-Pay Function On Work Productivity, Shezeen Oah

Dissertations

This study examined how work productivity was affected by the way in which individual monetary incentives were related to performance. Two types of relationships, or performance-pay functions, were compared: a linear function in which a specific per piece incentive was provided for each piece completed in excess of a performance standard and an exponential function in which the amount of the per piece incentive accelerated as productivity increased. Forty college subjects were randomly assigned to one of the two pay conditions. Each subject participated in 15 forty-five minute sessions. Subjects performed a computerized work task that simulated the job of …

Effects Of Performance Feedback And Goal Setting On The Productivity And Satisfaction Of Clerical Workers, Leslie Ann Wilk

Dissertations

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a Performance Management (PM) intervention designed to improve the productivity and job satisfaction of clerical employees in a university admissions department. During the first phase of the intervention, supervisors applied a PM program which included an individualized daily goal setting and verbal feedback program. During phase two, graphic display of individual performance levels was added to the goals and verbal feedback program. Productivity was measured via daily self reports of tasks completed. Job satisfaction was assessed by taking measures prior to and following the intervention using the Work …

A Theoretical Integration Of Robert Kegan's Developmental Psychology And Heinz Kohut's Self Psychology, Wilmar Vanderpol

Dissertations

Theory and research about psychological development tends to be dichotomized into two broad approaches that have never been integrated. The one is Piagetian-based cognitive-developmentalism, and the other is Freudian-based psychoanalytic developmentalism. The first predominates in academic research and application and the second in clinical research and therapy. This dissertation is a theoretical integration of the Piagetian-based theory of Robert Kegan with the Freudian-based theory of Heinz Kohut known as self psychology. A rationale for the integration of these two theories is given, along with an overview of each theory with respect to their developmental aspects. Analysis of their respective basic …

The Effects Of Combining Behavioral Counselling With Nicotine Fading And Smoke Holding In Medically At-Risk Adult Smokers, Terry Steven Bradford

Dissertations

The present study examined the effects of nicotine fading and a taste aversion procedure during behavioral treatment for smoking cessation. Nine subjects were initially assigned to one of two groups. Informed consent and physician waivers were obtained. Behavioral counseling was provided with the objective of subjects becoming self-control agents. After baseline, patients were taught to apply nicotine fading techniques. Subjects also received instruction and practice in goal setting and in using alternative responses, relaxation, and so forth. Three consecutive daily sessions of smoke holding were then done, during which subjects were instructed to stop smoking, followed by maintenance sessions. Results …

The Effectiveness Of Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (Rest) On Reducing Chronic Low Back Pain, David D. Smith

Dissertations

A number of studies have demonstrated that both progressive relaxation training and biofeedback are effective in reducing chronic low back pain. Floatation-REST (restricted environmental stimulation therapy), a relatively new method developed for relaxation, has demonstrated promising results and appears to be particularly well suited for the low back pain patient. The primary hypothesis of this project was that REST would reduce pain as evidenced by changes in physiological, behavioral and self-report measures commonly associated with chronic pain reduction. A secondary hypothesis was generated after the first of three experiments: that employment would be an important variable in determining the effectiveness …

The Effects Of Concurrent And Non-Current Cue-Controlled Relaxation Training On Cardiovascular Reactivity To Two Types Of Stress, Patricia Anne Cole

Dissertations

Physiological reactivity to stress has been linked to cardiovascular disease. Previous studies examining the effects of various forms of relaxation training on reactivity have conducted training under standard, quiet conditions (non-concurrent training). This study compared the effects of concurrent relaxation training (i.e., during stressful conditions) and non-concurrent cue-controlled relaxation training (quiet conditions) on physiological reactivity to two stressors. Reactivity to two stressors was probed before and after non-concurrent (quiet) training and concurrent (stressful) training. The subjects, eight patients in a cardiovascular rehabilitation program, performed a stressful arithmetic task and role plays of both standard and individually stressful situations. Cue-controlled relaxation …

An Analysis Of Four Performance Techniques For Paraprofessional Direct-Care Staff Working With Developmentally Disabled Adults In Group Homes, L. Martin Grabijas

Dissertations

The habilitation and training of the developmentally disabled has improved markedly in the last two decades. The creation of small, community-based living facilities has allowed these individuals to move from restrictive settings into the community where training in daily living skills can occur in a more natural fashion. While this movement has been positive for the consumer, the preparedness of the staff working in those facilities has not been adequately addressed. Many human service agencies use a generic training package to prepare their staff, yet current research indicates that such training is less than adequate, both in terms of preparing …

Effects Of Frequency Band Manipulation On Perceptions Of Infant Cries, Jerry W. Cleland

Dissertations

No abstract provided.