Psychology Commons^™

Religious Coping And College Adjustment: A Study Of An Elite Sample, Jeannie Shannon Mood

Honors Theses

This study sought to further explore the possible role of religious involvement on college adjustment. Religion was viewed as a multidimensional construct, assessed by means of the Religious Problem Solving Scales (RPSS) developed by Pargament et al. (1988). Nine different areas of adjustment were targeted with the College Adjustment Scales (CAS) developed by Anton and Reed (1991). Freshman honors students were assessed at the beginning and end of their first semester in college. Data analysis was conducted in three parts: the interscorer reliability of both the RPSS and CAS, the temporal stability of the RPSS, and the criterion-related validity of …

Children's Attitudes Toward Television Advertising: A State Of The Art Review, Heidi L. Haskins

Honors Theses

The issue of children and advertising came to light in the 1970s and has continued to be a topic of much discussion ever since. In started in the 1970s when the Action for Children's Television petitioned the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to eliminate all commercials from children's TV programs. Then in January 1973, the major networks agreed to reduce commercial time in children's weekend programs from 16 minutes an hour to 12 minutes an hour. In 1991, the Better Business Bureau estimated that children in the U.S. watch an average of 3.5 hours of television every day, and the average …

Job Aids To Improve Association For Behavior Analysis Convention Scheduling, Robert J. Schnarrs

Honors Theses

The Association for Behavior Analysis holds an annual convention that includes over 800 events and presentations and 1500 participants. The annual ABA Convention also draws over 2400 attendees. The scheduling and coordination of the annual convention is complex, labor intensive, and expensive. Because of the large amount of information, errors can and do occur.

Age And Personality Differences In The Choice Of Mnemonic Strategy, Gretchen Witte

Honors Theses

Personality as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator has been shown to change with age. Specifically, older adults become more sensing, while younger adults remain more intuitive on the SN dimension. Memory and the use of mnemonic strategies, or memory aids, changes with age as well. Older adults typically report more problems with their memory, yet use fewer memory strategy aids. If adults learn and use memory aids consistent with intuitive processing in youth, the hypothesized transition to a more sensing modality in old age may cause the use of intuitive strategies to decline. Thus, the finding that older adults …

Changes In Spatial Learning Ability In Female Rats Due To Neonatal Transplantation Of Male Hippocampal Tissue, David B. Carr

Honors Theses

It has long been acknowledged that sex differences occur in the performance of learning tasks. Specifically, it has been found that males typically outperform females in spatial learning tasks such as maze tasks. Recently, evidence has emerged which directly links sex differences in behavior to specific regions of the central nervous system (CNS). This evidence indicates that sexually dimorphic behaviors may be altered by the neonatal transplantation of opposite sex brain tissue. This research sought to extend these findings by examining the effects of neonatal transplantation of male hippocampal tissue on the spatial learning ability of adult females in three …

Efficacious Impression Management In Minority Recruitment And Retention Practices, Amy L. Kristof

Honors Theses

The present study suggests impression management strategies that companies can use to more effectively recruit and retain minority workers. As the workforce composition changes over the next ten years, the need for companies to attract and retain qualified diverse workers will become increasingly important. The present study focused on two minority groups, women and senior citizens. These minority workers were asked to rate the importance of suggestions given by personnel adminstrators, as to what things would attract members of their minority group to an organization. Both groups cited honesty, fair treatment, and hiring and promotion based on ability and not …

Student's Perceptions And Experiences Of Sexual Harassment At The University Of Tennessee At Chattanooga, Wendy W. Davis

Honors Theses

This research was conducted to examine students' perceptions and experiences of sexual harassment in higher education. The study was designed and administered in such a way as to address four concerns which have not been effectively handled in previous studies. These specific concerns are as follows: (a) the nonrandom selection of students, (b) the exclusion of males in samples, (c) the limited number of research methods used, and (d) the lack of a standardized definition for sexual harassment. The first three issues focus on the need to obtain representative samples of the college population.

The Benefits Of Women's Education : Warming Up A Cold College Climate For Women Undergraduates, Shannon Riley

Honors Theses

The existence of sex discrimination in American college classrooms, and the harmful effects of such discrimination on women students have been well established. The present study sought to determine if exposure to women's education could aid students in overcoming some of these deleterious effects. Twenty-eight female introductory psychology students and eleven women's studies students read various pieces of research and discussed the readings in experimental sessions. The introductory psychology students in the control group were educated about various well documented gender differences, while the introductory psychology and women's studies students in the experimental groups learned about sex discrimination in college …

Happiness And Satisfaction : Subjective Well-Being In The Work Force, Lori J. Sohns

Honors Theses

Workers from seven southeastern companies (80 subjects) completed surveys consisting of demographic information and subjective well-being (SWB) indicators. Results indicate significantly lower life satisfaction in females than in males; income level and education do not show significant positive relationships with happiness, however, total household income does; and a statistically significant positive relationship between job satisfaction and general satisfaction were found and were strongest in males. Correlations between six of the SWB measures revealed highly significant correlations between five of the measures. A multiple regression analysis of satisfaction and happiness revealed several variables which were predictive of these constructs.

Gesturing In An Interview Situation : Effects Of Gender, Renee R. Tillinger

Honors Theses

Subjects observed a prerecorded job interview of a male or a female applicant whose gesturing was either broad (hands/arms moving away from the body), narrow (hands/arms moving close to the body), or not used (hands folded on lap). Subjects then completed evaluations on the applicant and the type of gesturing used. Results suggest that in placing individuals in jobs, women stereotype both men and women according to the type of gesturing used. Men, on the other hand, stereotype only men according to the type of gesturing used, but stereotyped women regardless of the type of gesturing used. Implications of this …

Friendship Potential, Knowledge, Skills, And Expectations Of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder And Normal Children, Laura A. Taylor

Honors Theses

The present study assessed the differences in the friendship patterns of nonmedicated children with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and children without the disorder. 22 children with ADHD and 23 normal controls and each of their friends completed an interview designed to evaluate their friendship potential, knowledge, skills, expectations, and quality. These children were divided at age 9 years, 8 months into younger and older groups in order to assess age differences across the variables. Results illustrated that children with ADHD have lower levels of friendship potential than children without ADHD especially in terms of their degree of similarity with their …

When The Equality Rule Is Violated : Factors Affecting Consumption Of Physical, Spatial And Temporal Resources, Caryn E. Herlocker

Honors Theses

Three studies explored the processes by which different types of shared resources were consumed by group members. Subjects shared physical, spatial, and temporal resources. The resources were arranged in either a partitioned or nonpartitioned form. Subjects did so with an implied withdrawal of either onethird or one-twelfth and while participating in either a sharing or an accuracy instruction. Results for each resource provided partial support for a deliberate motive of greed and an inadvertent overestimation bias affecting subjects' withdrawals. The results also suggest that different types of resources may be consumed according to different criteria. Suggestions are made for methodological …

Effect Of Memory Training On Memory Performance, Self-Efficacy Rarings And Patterns Of Attributions In Older Adults, Krista E. Larson

Honors Theses

An investigation of age differences in memory performance for list and text recall was conducted in the context of a training manipulation. It was hypothesized that there would be age differences in performance, measures of self-efficacy, and attributional style, but that training in memory strategies would have an effect on those differences. The training manipulation appeared to be more effective for the list portion of the experiment, and improvements in performance and changes in attributions were induced. The text portion of the experiment revealed the predicted age differences, but training failed to elicit any of the other predicted effects. The …

Positive Distinctiveness And Intergroup Discrimination Between Intercollegiate Athletes And Nonathletes, Jean H. Pace

Honors Theses

Past research has shown that individuals seek to establish a positively valued distinctiveness between their own group (ingroup) and other groups (outgroups) to maintain and enhance their self-esteem (Turner, 1981). The purpose of this study was to explore this issue further using intercollegiate student athletes and nonathletes as subjects. Ten athletes and ten nonathletes each generated lists of personality traits that they believed athletes and nonathletes possess. A different group of athletes and nonathletes (N=68) then rated the social desirability of these traits. The results revealed that each group attempted to differentiate itself positively from the other. Athletes and nonathletes …

Role Satisfaction In Working Mothers : A Comparison Of Occupational Status, Mary G. O'Donnell

Honors Theses

The effects of employment on a working mother's overall role satisfaction was examined as a function of occupational status (professional, middle management, working class). Sixty women of differing employment levels were given a questionnaire of items concerning their experiences as working mothers. Professional women were found to be at an advantage. They possesed significantly higher levels of work orientation and job satisfaction than both middle management and working class women, and higher levels of family satisfaction than working class women. Professional women were also slightly more satisfied with their roles, but this effect was not significant. A stepwise multiple regression …

Prediction Of Reading Pesticide Warnings And Consumer Purchasing Intentions, Kathryn Anne Ponsi

Honors Theses

Correlates of reading and noticing warnings on consumer products and of consumers' purchasing intentions were examined using ratings of 26 household pest-control products. Seventy college undergraduates were asked to respond to a 19-item questionnaire assessing subjects' perceptions of each product's packaging, labeling, and warning characteristics. Additional data was collected by coding the products for several packaging and warning characteristics, and product effectiveness. The results showed that the products perceived as more hazardous, potent, likely to cause injury, and difficult to use contained warnings that subjects reported they would more likely notice and read. A different cluster of variables were predictive …

Activation Of Social Heuristics In Social Decision Making Tasks As A Function Of Leadership Role Assignment, Amber B. Keating

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of assigning leadership roles implying varying degrees of social responsibility along with examining lay peoples' perceptions of these roles. Using 105 subjects, a 3 (leadership role) x 2 (resource type) design was used to examine how leaders make decisions about sharing resources in groups. First, 41 subjects rated the perceived degree of social responsibility for each of the 32 roles. In the next phase, another 64 subjects were assigned one of three leadership roles (supervisor, guide, or leader) and were asked to take that type of leader's deserved amount of …

Family Environments And The Development And Course Of Anorexia Nervosa, Amy E. Hewett

Honors Theses

Preoccupation with physical appearance is a hallmark of adolescence, and distorted body images are common among teenage women in developed countries around the world. Obviously alI of these adolescents are not contracting eating disorders, and a distorted body image, although necessary, is not sufficient to induce anorexia. The mitigating factor appears to be family relations and environments. Previous research has noted unusual relationships among family members of anorexic girls. The present study contends that familial factors and environments powerfully direct both the move toward and the recovery from anorexia nervosa. It is hypothesized that high scores on the Family Environment …

Initial Dyadic Peer Interaction Of Adhd And Normal Children, Julie A. Hubbard

Honors Theses

The present study assesses the nature of the behavior of ADHD children in an initial social encounter with a peer. Eight pairs each of previously unacquainted ADHD/normal and normal/normal children were videotaped as they interacted in a free-play setting for 30 minutes. All ADHD subjects were currently receiving psychostimulant medication. As compared to the normal/normal dyads, the ADHD/normal dyads engaged in more solitary play as well as less associative play. The ADHD/normal dyads also had a greater latency to reach rule-governed associative play and engaged in less affective verbalization than the normal/normal dyads. Sequential analyses revealed that the normal/normal dyads, …

The Effects Of Caffeine On Operant Behavior In The Mongolian Gerbil, Stephanie L. Myers

Honors Theses

The present study looks at the effects of stomach loads of caffeine on operant behavior in Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). Four male and four female gerbils were trained to a fixed interval schedule of 30 seconds with Noyes 4.5 mg rodent pellets used for reinforcement. A data collection and analysis package for Apple computers was used to measure the post-reinforcement response frequencies and number of reinforcements. Data was collected using a baseline of saline stomach loads of 1% of body weight, and then stomach loads of ascending concentrations caffeine mixed with saline (10, 20, 40, 60 mg/kg) with two to …

The Correlation Between The Motive To Achieve And The Motive To Affiliate In College Women, Lisa Salladin

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between the motives to achieve and to affiliate in college senior women and to compare that correlation earlier findings that consistently produced a significant negative relationship. It has been suggested in the 1970's that for women achievement and affiliation were be_coming less adversarial and approaching a more balanced coexistence. These motivations were measured by the frequently utilized Edward's Personal Preference Schedule in an effort to help strengthen the comparability of the present results with those previous findings. Interviews were conducted in an effort to shed light on whether these women …

The Influence Of Gender Schema On The Perception Of Advertising, Kim Seitz

Honors Theses

Schemas are used to organize knowledge about a stimulus or concept. They help to show what information should be notice or ignored, interpret between long-term memory and the current stimulus, and aid in efficiently storing information. Individuals' responses to decisions are guided by schemas. The process of eleviating cognitive dissonance between reality and existing schemas serves as their motivation (Ruble & Stangor, 1986).

Outcome-Biased Correspondent Inferences And Choice Behavior In Social Dilemmas : "Acting On Inference", Shannon J. Pratt

Honors Theses

An experiment employing 38 intro-psychology students was performed in order to a) observe the outcome-biased correspondent inference, b) investigate whether this inference may be manifested in social dilemma behavior, and c) investigate the role of social values in reactions to feedback, investment behaviors, and sensitivity to the correspondent inference. The experiment consisted of two parts. The first part categorized subjects as either cooperators or defectors using the Ring Measure of Social Values. In the second part, subjects completed a booklet with the aid of taped instructions. The booklet contained a questionnaire, a bogus scenario, and three investment situations. Results showed …

Jealousy : An Investigation Of Attribution, Margaret L. Offerdahl

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the determinants of jealousy in different situations. Specifically, the research extended a study which identified five major categories of jealousy: romantic jealousy, jealousy of others' social acceptance, jealousy of others' undeserved accomplishments, jealousy of others' traits, and jealousy of others' happiness (Baldwin, 1988).

The investigation utilized a questionnaire narrating one scenario for each of the five jealousy provoking situations. Subjects rated the appropriateness of the jealous response in each situation on a scale from 1 to 7 and generated perceived causes for each jealous response. An analysis of variance of the appropriateness …

The Development Of The Child And Adolescent Coping Inventory, Laura K. Mcgraw

Honors Theses

The development of the Child and Adolescent Coping Inventory (Cobb, Gwanter, & Newcomb, 1987) is described and reliability and validity statistics are reported. The inventory consists of a parent form and a child form. The parent form contains 91 descriptions of children's behaviors when faced with difficulties. The child form is in interview format and asks children to describe seven positive and negative events and their reactions to them.The Inventory in both forms is capable of obtaining both observable and subjective reactions of children to stress. Reliability and validity is stronger for the child form. Suggestions are made for possible …

Warning Compliance : Behavioral Effects Of Cost And Consensus, Nancy A. Mckenna

Honors Theses

The behavioral effects of cost and consensus on warning compliance were examined. Cost was defined as the amount of effort expended to perform the instructed behavior, while consensus was defined as whether the presence of another person who complies or fails to comply affects the rate of compliance of another. Subjects performed a chemistry laboratory task during which, they read a warning directing them to wear a safety mask and gloves. The frequency of the subjects' compliance was recorded. The results show reduced compliance when the cost was high. The results also show that the behavior of just one other …

An Exploratory Analysis On The Situational Determinants Of Jealousy, Renee Jean Baldwin

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to transcend the trait and affective boundaries in order to account for the situational and cognitive variables which provoke the responses elicited by jealous emotion. The focus of the study is comprised of two major objectives: (1). To discover and define the structural dimensions associated with people's conceptions of jealous situations and (2) to deter mine whether there are gender differences in the interpretation and conceptualization of jealous emotion. Thirty-one undergraduate psychology students participated in the study. A cluster analysis was performed on the co-occurrence of situations. Five major categories of the situational determinants …

Power And The Social Order: Sex Role Stereotyping In Children's Television, Christine Burke

Honors Theses

The aim of this study is to offer an assessment of the common themes in feminist, Lacanian psychoanalytic and deconstructionist theory. It will then discuss the degree to which these three discourses allow us to grasp the implications of the political socialization which occurs through television programming directed primarily at children.

There are points of commonality and discordance between these approaches. My aim will not be to make the argument that one approach is best, nor to arrive at a final synthesis. Rather, I construe these theoretical approaches as different lenses through which we can apprehend and evaluate the messages …

Out Of Control: An Exploration Into The Dynamics Of Anorexia Nervosa And Bulimia And The Consequences For The Sufferer And Those Around Her, Shenandoah M. Cardwell

Honors Theses

A theoretical and personal exploration into the dynamics of anorexia nervosa and bulimia was conducted with reviews of literature, interviews, and personal accounts. A basic definition of the problem according to the DSM-III was stated. Discussed in detail are factors which contribute to a possible predisposition for developing an eating disorder; these include the physiological/biological, psychological, familial and societal. The effects of eating disorders on those persons around an anorexic or bulimic were explained along with a special section emphasizing the epidemic of eating disorders on college campuses. Emphasis was placed on the importance of the role of helper in …

Self Efficacy, Locus Of Control, And Physical Ability, E. Catherine Edmiston

Honors Theses

This research investigated the relationship among two personality variables- locus of control (LOC) and self efficacy (SE)- and perceptions of physical ability for a specific sport. In the first phase of the research, tennis players (12-14 year old males), their parents, their coaches, and three objective raters were asked to rate the players' physical talent. In phase two the players were ranked by a computer that based the rankings on their overall performance for a year. After these rankings were published the same groups were again asked to rate the players' physical talent. The ratings are compared to each other …