Psychology Commons^™

Avoidance Learning Of Anxiety : An Application Of Signal Detection Theory, Maribeth Ekey

Master's Theses

The purpose of the present study was to test the appli­ cation of Signal Detection Theory to a model for the development of anxiety. An attempt was made to condi­ tion anxiety responses to decreasing magnitudes of a noxious stimulus through the negative reinforcement of avoidance behavior. An analogue based on Mandler and Watson's (1966) interruption theory was designed. Data from 32 male and female volunteers from the University of Richmond subject pool were used in the final analy­ sis. All students were pretested with Sarason's (1972) Test Anxiety Scale and placed in high- and low-anxiety groups according to …

A Validation Study For The Position Of Bank Teller Utilizing The Job Matching System, Richard Dennis Newcomb

Master's Theses

This study attempted to validate the Job Matching System utilizing both objective and subjective proficiency measure. The participants were tellers from two area banks. It was found that the Match Index scores (r) that were obtained from the administration of the Life Activities Inventory could be used to predict success on the jo (with success defined as above or below average proficiency levels_ whether objective or subjective it was shown that the Job matching System, with certain notation, did not show adverse impact for any of the minority groups included in this study. Certain limitations upon the results of this …

A Test Of Two Theories Of The Necker Cube Reversal Illusion, Phillip Powers Woodson Jr.

Master's Theses

The Necker cube reversal illusion was used to test the satiational and constructional theories of this illusion in an experimental paradigm. The paradigm involved one group of 51 university students who were tested under three experimental conditions. All three test sessions involved their watching a Necker cube for a continuous 2 minute period. Each session was separated by at least a 1-day interval. One session involved the plain cube. Another session involved a fixation mark in the center of the cube and a third session had the mark sequentially appearing in four different locations in the central region of the …

Field Dependence And Recall Of Related And Unrelated Lists Of Words, Lynda L. King

Master's Theses

This study dealt with the particular cognitive style known as field-independence and field-dependence as an influential factor upon the number of words recalled from categorized and uncategorized lists of words across three trials. After being tested for cognitive style using Witkin's Group Embedded Figures Test, 6 subjects from each of three identified styles, field-independent, medium, and field-dependent, were given a related (categorized) list of words while 6 different subjects from each of the cognitive styles were given an unrelated (uncategorized) list of words. Each word list was presented three times with recall after each trial for every subject being recorded. …

An Investigation Into The Relationship Between Sex Role Attitudes And Sex-Typed Behaviors, Kimberly Evans Merrill

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Construction Of A Multiscore Measure Of Depressive Moods And Affects, David John Berndt

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Symptom Presence And Resolution In Psychiatrically Hospitalized Adolescents, Margaret J. Rohde

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Locus Of Control Modification As A Function Of Situational Control And Performance Feedback, Robert Bailey Allin Jr.

Master's Theses

The present investigation explored the effects of personal control (skill instruction), no personal control (chance instruction), "success," and "failure" as independent variables in a task situation which might influence a change in subjects control orientations. 70 college subjects were randomly assigned to one of six experimental groups and a control group, and were tested for their locus of control orientations on the Rotter I-E scale both before and after participation in an original task situation and answering additional rating questions. Results indicate that significant interactive effects existed between locus of control orientation and successful task performance in task situations with …

The Effects Of Three Levels Of Social Interaction On The Maintenance Of Sidman Avoidance In Rats, John Lewis Cofer

Master's Theses

In 1965 Zajonc theorized that the effect of the presence of others was to facilitate the maintenance of a behavior. However, opposite results have been found when rat subjects were tested with shock used as a reinforcer. It was hypothesized that shock elicited aggression interfered with responding, producing performance decrement, rather than facilitation. A wheel-turn Sidman avoidance procedure was used to study maintenance behavior in rats under three levels of social interaction: single subject, two subjects separated by a barrier to prevent shock elicited aggressions (the companion paradigm), and two subjects not separated in the. test chamber (the physical paradigm). …

The Effects Of Interpersonal Skills Training On Locus Of Control, Michael J. Banks

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Personality Traits Of Alchoholic Subtypes, John M. Zivich

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Personality Characteristics And Reported Symptoms Of Women Seeking Psychotherapy: Feminists, And Other Females, Kay Bienemann

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

A Perceptual Measure Of Approach And Avoidance In Process And Reactive Schizophrenics, Vickie M. Mays

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Interview Intake Procedures: A Client Satisfaction And Cost-Effectiveness Evaluation, Elicia J. Herz

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Feedback And Knowledge Of Response On The Voluntary Acceleration Of Heart Rate, Sharon A. Moskowitz

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Of Empathic Behavior And Selected Predisposing Personality Factors In Adolescents, Thomas Schevers

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Knowledge Of Spouses' Real And Ideal Family Concept And Family Adjustment, Patrick J. Kennelly

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Subliminal Psychodyanmic [Sic] Activation And Its Relation To The Unconscious: Royal Road Or Blind Alley?, Robert James Swanson

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Global Meditative Effects Of Tai Chi Chuan, Brad R. Heinz

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Reading Ability And Visual And Auditory Incidental Learning In Learning Disabled Adolescents, Brenda G. Miller

Master's Theses

The present study attempted to examine the relationship between reading level and central and incidental learning in the visual and auditory modalities. The central-incidental tasks were modifications of Hagen's (1967) visual central-incidental tasks. Twenty male and female adolescents who had identified learning problems were subjects. An equal number of good and poor readers were assigned to the visual and auditory tasks. The results of the research indicated that reading level was not related to incidental learning nor to central auditory performance. However, the research findings showed significant differences between reading level and visual central task performance. The simplicity of the …

Person Perception In The Job Interview : The Effect Of Congruent & Incongruent Information Between The Job Interview And Letter Of Reference, Sharen Dale Enscore

Master's Theses

The following research examined the differences in two modes of presentation within the employee interview situation; the letter of reference and the job interview. Past research has failed to examine these two modes presented in succession to the same subjects to ascertain the more salient mode. In the present research this was detennined by pairing a letter of reference with an incongruent job interview to see which mode has the greater influence on the decision to hire. Information on a woman applicant was presented to 40 male and 40 female college business students via these two modes. Main effects were …

A Study Of The Self Report And Behavioral Differences Between High And Low Frequency Daters, Scott Daner

Master's Theses

Minimal dating, identified as a significant and relevant target problem, generally has been thought to result from either conditioned anxiety, negative self-evaluations, or social skills deficits. One hundred and thirty-eight subjects were screened and selected on the basis of high and low dating frequency and satisfaction with dating. Twenty-seven males and twenty-seven females who met the criteria participated in a "natural" social interaction. Subjects were paired in three groups: 11 high dating males and 16 high dating females, ten low dating males and ten low dating females, and 5 low dating men and 5 high dating women. Before and after …

The Use Of Covert Reinforcement In The Modification Of External Locus Of Control, Vincent Rose

Master's Theses

An analogue study was conducted to test the clinical efficacy of covert reinforcement (Cautela, 1970) and to assess the role of behavioral .rehearsal in covert reinforcement. A secondary purpose was to determine the effects of image clarity, subject anxiety level and rate of extra session imagery on the therapeutic effect of covert reinforcement. Forty introductory psychology students who scored above 8 on Rotter's (1966) I-E scale were seen for four, fifteen minute sessions over a two week period. Subjects were divided into five groups: a covert reinforcement group, an overt reinforcement group, a behavioral rehearsal group, an activity control group …

The Contribution Of An Educational Phase To The Stress Inoculation Of Anxiety, Robert Steven Hadfield

Master's Theses

All subjects were selected from introductory speech classes at the University of Richmond. A public speaking fear survey was given to all students at the beg inning of the semester. Construct validity of this survey has been established by discriminating anxious from non- anxious people. Students scoring above the median were invited to participate in a workshop on dealing with the stress of public speaking. Subjects who accepted the invitation were assigned to one of four groups: stress inoculation with education (Combination) , stress inoculation without education (Skills only), education without stress inoculation (Education only), or a no treatment control …

Effects Of Distraction, Introversion-Extraversion And Sex Type Upon Performance, Norman Reed

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of The Use Of Video Tape In The Assessment Center Method, David Carrington Purdy

Master's Theses

This study examined the feasibility of employing video-taping procedures in the operation of assessment centers. Six trained assessors observed 23 participants in four separate assessment centers. While one group of three assessors observed the assessment proceedings in person, the other group of three saw only the video-tape playbacks of the performances. A high degree of reliability was found between the ratings given by the two teams of assessors. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation computed on the total scores of all 23 participants yielded a reliability of r = . 86. The Spearman rank-order correlation coefficient was r = . 85. …

Leader, Follower, And Nonleader Patterns In Emergent Leadership, Catherine Mae Holmes

Master's Theses

In the present research 82 freshmen at the University of Richmond who had previously been administered the Omnibus Personality Inventory (OPI) volunteered for a short discussion session after which each student completed a 9 item leadership scale on each of the other group members. A multiple regression analysis revealed a significant correlation between the Social Extroversion scale of the UPI and ratings of group participation (r=.38, <.01). A post hoc multiple discriminant analysis identified 7 OPI scales which discriminated 64.4% of the cases into correct leadership groups. These findings support a leader-follower-nonleader paradigm for small croup participation, identifying unique personality configurations for each group -- leaders who participate actively and who organize the group process, followers who offer suggestions congeniality and nonreaders who either refuse to interact or become antagonistic to group goals. Suggestions for future research include a need for observer ratings of group interactions as well as more extensive personality measures of social variables such as dominance and social desirability.

Responses To Hypovolaemic Thirst In Gerbils, Patrick Carl Hauenstein

Master's Theses

In the present study, a series of experiments were conducted to examine how the gerbil responds to an extracellular challenge. Adult female gerbils, weighing from 50 gm. to 70 gm., were either exposed to a 10% (vol x wt) polyethelene glycol injection, or a vehicle control injection. Within each injection level, half of the animals had access· to water after injection, while the other half had access to a .9% saline solution. There was a significant increase in fluid intake associated with injection dosages and animals drank significantly more when exposed to saline than when exposed to water. It was …

The Effect Of Various Cognitive Strategies In The Control Of Public Speaking Anxiety, G. Rex Walker

Master's Theses

An experiment was designed to apply the cognitive strategy paradigm of Jaremko and Patteson to a classroom speech anxiety situation. Forty-eight introductory speech students volunteered to be tested on physiological, behavioral, and self-report measures of anxiety during two of their regular classroom speeches. Subjects were divided into groups based upon which cognitive strategy they were asked to implement: rationalization, reversal of affect, misattribution, misattribution and rationalization, a placebo control and a no treatment control.

Results indicated reductions in anxiety across trials, but these were not attributable to treatment. These findings are discussed in terms of the application of laboratory paradigms …

Coping Abilities Of High And Low Jealous Individuals In A Stressful Situation, Elizabeth Roxanne Lindsey

Master's Theses

The major purpose of this study was to examine the coping abilities of high and low jealous individuals in a stressful laboratory situation involving self-dis­ closure. The hypothesis that high jealous individuals would not cope with the threat of self disclosure as well as low jealous individuals was not confirmed.

Eighty college students were given a battery of personality questionnaires to complete which measured jealousy., anxiety, locus of control, self esteem, self preoccupation and social desirability. The correlations revealed certain differences in characteristics of high and low jealous subjects including the fact that high jealous subjects had a significantly lower …