Psychology Commons^™

The Relationship Between Attention And Memory And School Readiness In West Virginia Preschoolers, Brenda Carol Parker

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The current study investigated the relationship between memory and attention and academic readiness in children between the ages of 2 ½ and 5. Forty-two preschool children were involved in the study and were selected from childcare centers participating in the Educare project in West Virginia. All subjects were tested with the Bracken and the Carolina Curriculum. The Bracken measured the academic readiness and the Carolina Curriculum measured memory and attention levels of the children. The results indicated a positive correlation between memory and attention and academic readiness. The findings supported the position that there is a positive correlation between mastery …

The Motivational Quality Of Global Attributions In Hypothetical And Experienced Situations Of Gender Discrimination, Mindi D. Foster

Psychology Faculty Publications

Traditionally, global attributions have been thought to reduce instrumental behavior aimed at resolving negative events. However, the present research shows global attributions for gender discrimination are related to taking action against unfair treatment. In Study 1, women ( N = 157) completed a questionnaire assessing attributions for hypothetical scenarios of discrimination and collective responses to discrimination. In Study 2, women ( N = 79) were placed into a laboratory situation of discrimination and asked to indicate their attributions for and responses to their unfair treatment. In both studies, hierarchical regression analyses showed that global attributions were related to both individual …

Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of The Coping Style Inventory In A College Sample, Christopher Garth Bellah

Doctoral Dissertations

The present study conducted a confirmatory factor analysis of the Coping Style Inventory (CSI). A comprehensive review of the history of stress and coping research was provided, along with a presentation of suggestions for future research that have indicated a need for a melding of both theory-driven and empirically-driven methodology in coping assessment. Pursuant to this need, a pilot study was conducted to explore the factor structure and psychometric properties of the CSI (N = 560). Results of pilot work using a principle components extraction and a parallel analysis criterion for factor retention indicated that six primary factors were …

The Relationship Between Receptive Vocabulary And Letter Recognition, James Bennett

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The West Virginia Educare Program has randomly chosen 150 children from 2 ½ to 5 years of age to participate in an academic readiness study. These children came from a 6 county pilot community program collaborative, including the counties of Cabell, Wayne, Monongalia, Roane, Upshur, Webster, and Summers. The Bracken-R, the PPVT-III, and Carolina Curriculum for Pre-Schoolers with special needs were used to assess all subjects. For this study, the letter recognition subset of the Bracken-R and the raw score of the PPVT-III were used to determine if a correlation exists between receptive vocabulary and letter recognition. This study found …

Relation Of Age Beginning Delinquency, Chemical Dependency, Family History Of Substance Use And The Likelihood To Display Elevated 49/94 Two-Point Codetype On The Mmpi-A With Juvenile Delinquents, Jay Cunningham

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A data search of male juvenile delinquents (N=40) who had taken the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory for Adolescents (MMPI-A) was undertaken from archival data at the Industrial Home for Youth Division of Juvenile Services at Salem, West Virginia. The Industrial Home for Youth is a 120 bed maximum security correctional facility for males age 10 through 20 and females age 12 through 20. Subjects’ files were placed into two groups, 20 in each group. The study group is males whose MMPI-A profile had a two-point codetype of elevated 49/94, T-score being 65 or above. The comparison group did not have …

Postural Balance And Acceleration Threshold Detection For Anterior Horizontal Translation In Diabetic And Non-Diabetic Elderly, Venkatesh Balasubramanian

Doctoral Dissertations

Slips and falls, and even the fear of failing, can represent a major medical and functional deterrent to living independently, especially among the elderly population. Various groups of elders are at known risk for falling including, but not limited to, those with vestibular dysfunction, those with low visual acuity including visual neuropathies, and those with peripheral neuropathies. The first two groups are fairly well studied, but the relationship between the level of peripheral neuropathy and extent of falling has received relatively less attention.

In this study, using sliding linear investigative platform for analyzing lower limb stability (SLIP-FALLS), the psychophysical thresholds …

Context-Dependent Memory Under Stressful Conditions: The Case Of Skydiving, Laura A. Thompson, Keith L. Williams, Paul R. L'Esperance, Jerffrey Cornelius

Faculty Publications - College of Nursing

Two experiments examined the effect of differing levels of emotional arousal on learning and memory for words in matching and mismatching contexts. In Experiment 1, experienced skydivers learned words either in the air or on the ground and recalled them in the same context or in the other context. Experiment 2 replicated the stimuli and design of the first experiment except that participants were shown a skydiving video in lieu of skydiving. Recall was poor in air-learning conditions with actual skydiving, but when lists were learned on land, recall was higher in the matching context than in the mismatching context. …

Individual Differences And The Effects Of Time Of Day And Interference On Memory, Keelon L. Hinton

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Using the Wickens, Born, Allen (1963) release from proactive interference paradigm, subjects were tested at both a morning and afternoon period in hopes of observing the effects time of day, age, and interference have on working memory. 42 college students and 21 participants over the age of 65 first completed the Horne-Ostberg (1976) questionnaire for morningness-eveningness. While most younger adults were evening and neutral types, the vast majority of older individuals showed a stronger preference for earlier hours of the day. Recall results indicated that recall performance of older participants decreased from morning to afternoon, while recall performance of younger …

Spiritual Coping And Well-Functioning Among Psychologists, Paul W. Case, Mark R. Mcminn

Faculty Publications - Doctor of Psychology (PsyD) Program

The work of psychologists can be stressful and demanding, which calls for an understanding of how psychologists cope with the stress of their work and how they prevent distress by establishing habits of well-functioning. Previous studies on psychologists’ well-functioning and coping behaviors have not considered the role of spiritual practices in the life of the professional. 400 psychologists (69% response rate) returned questionnaires rating their levels of distress, coping behaviors, methods of well-functioning, and religious coping. No overall differences were observed in levels of distress between more religious and less religious psychologists. Spiritual practices, especially attending religious services and prayer/meditation, …

Investigating Business Casual Dress Policies: Questionnaire Development And Exploratory Research, Timothy Franz, Norton Steven D.

Psychology Faculty/Staff Publications

This study had two primary goals: to develop a questionnaire that can be used to determine what types and categories of attire are acceptable in today’s work environment for men and women and to provide a preliminary test of whether these policies impact work attitudes and behavior. Because of the lack of past theory and research to guide the project, human resource professionals were interviewed to help generate ideas for questionnaire design. Once developed, this questionnaire was completed by 95 students, most of whom worked full- or part-time. Analyses revealed that there are clear trends and categories that can be …

Contextual Unanimity And The Units Of Selection Problem, Stuart M. Glennan

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Sober and Lewontin’s critique of genic selectionism is based upon the principle that a unit of selection should make a context‐independent contribution to fitness. Critics have effectively shown that this principle is flawed. In this paper I show that the context independence principle is an instance of a more general principle for characterizing causes,called the contextual unanimity principle. I argue that this latter principle, while widely accepted, is erroneous. What is needed is to replace the approach to causality characterized by the contextual unanimity criterion with an approach based on the concept of causal mechanism. After sketching such an approach, …

Opportunity Knocks Only Once? Challenging Common Beliefs About Adulthood, Marilyn Montgomery, Camille Debell, Patricia R. Mccarthy, Gerald Parr

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

Growth-oriented groups for adults are designed to help individuals learn about themselves for the purpose of making constructive life changes. While the success of such groups always depends to some extent on individual characteristics (e.g., motivation, openness to experience), group success can also be affected by members' beliefs or stereotypes about appropriate age-related behaviour. In this article, proverbs such as Don't change horses mid-stream or Opportunity knocks only once are targeted for discussion by group participants as a means of identifying irrational beliefs, confronting stereotypes, promoting flexible thinking, and examining acceptable adult behaviour.

Levels Of Acculturation Of Children Of Mexican Descent As Perceived In Their Kinetic Family Drawings, Kevin Adolfo Rosado

Dissertations

Problem. Information on Hispanic children and their families is limited. More research activity is crucial in the light of the rapidly expanding population of Latino/Hispanics. Mexican families present a particular challenge to clinicians and to treatment settings, as well as to researchers. The impact of acculturation on psychological assessment instruments is largely unknown. This study sought to use the Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD) as a tool to gain information about how differences in acculturation are reflected through drawings done by children of Mexican descent.

Method. Private and public schools with representation of Mexican-American and Caucasian children from rural, semi-rural, small …

The Ability Of The Child And Adolescent Functioning Assessment Scale (Cafas) To Predict Discharge Status From An Intensive In-Home Treatment Program, Brenda K. Smith

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Mental health providers are increasing required to document symptoms of clients, level of functional impairment, and improvements in treatment due to increasing pressure from managed mental health to provide the best possible services for the least amount of money and time spent. Thus, instruments that reliably predict functional impairment, length and cost of services are increasing utilized in mental health agencies. One such instrument, the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAF AS), will be reviewed. The purpose of the study will be stated, and the method, procedure, and results will be explained. A discussion will follow detailing a summary …

Sense Of Belonging In The School : Impact On Young Adolescents, Diane F. Broderick

Theses : Honours

The transitional nature of adolescence predisposes the adolescent to the effects of evolving biopsychosocial development changes. However, these transitional processes do not occur in isolation in the adolescent. Using a systems approach, this paper examined the issues surrounding adolescents' sense of belonging (SoB) at school. SoB was identified as a means of providing an understanding of belongingness as a linking and stabilising mechanism for adolescents as they successfully negotiate their biopsychosocial changes. SoB at school appears to be positively reflected in the adolescents' peer competencies, student-teacher relationships, motivation and achievement, participation skills, and the ability to relate to the school …

The Influence Of Perceived Family Environment On Adolescent Leisure Behaviour, Cath Price

Theses : Honours

It has been claimed by many that the family environment is a source of influence for child and adolescent behaviour (Hendry, 1983). Research questions were asked to find out if, and to what extent, the family environment {as perceived by the adolescent) determines the adolescent's leisure participation, with whom these pursuits are carried out, and the satisfaction gained from these pursuits. Questionnaires containing measures of leisure participation, with whom they participate, and leisure satisfaction plus the Family Environment Scale (FES) Form R were administered to 313 students between 13 to 16 years of age in a Perth metropolitan state high …

What Is The Relationship Between Activity, Social Support And Health-Related Quality Of Life In People Who Are Sixty Years Of Age And Older?, Jaqueline Ebbott

Theses : Honours

Over one third of individuals aged sixty years and older have health conditions which limit their ability to live an independent and active life. With the older Australian population increasing, the prevention of functional decline and preservation of wellbeing in this age group has become a major clinical focus in gerontology research. Therefore an important goal of health professionals is to identify behavioural factors which encourage wellbeing and quality of life in this age group. The purpose of the present study was to explore the importance of physical activity passive activity (activities such as craft, reading and board games) and …

High School Students' Food Choices: A Nutrient Analysis Of Students' Canteen Purchases At Four High Schools, Jenny Kora

Theses : Honours

Links exist between poor eating habits established during childhood and adolescence and the development of dental decay, obesity and anaemia early in life (Ruxton, Kirk, Belton & Holmes, 1993; Douglas, 1999), as well as a number of diseases of affluence, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers later in life (Baranowski et al., 1993; Birch, 1993; National Health and Medical Research Council, 1995; Antine, 1997; Harris et al., 1997; Douglas, 1998; Melnik, Rhoades, Wales, Cowel & Wolfe, 1998; Cholin, 1999; Huon, Wardle & Szabo, 1999). Adolescence has been identified as a unique stage in the life cycle when increased amounts …

Effects Of Bilingualism On Mental Flexibility, Melissa A. Luke

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Modern Psychological Studies

No abstract provided.

Divorce In The Family: How Does It Affect Personality And Views Of Love And Marriage?, Kymberley K. Bennett

Modern Psychological Studies

This study was conducted to investigate the impact of parental divorce on such personality variables as global optimism and self-esteem, and attitudes toward love and marriage. Eighty-seven women and 48 men enrolled in a small, private university participated in this study. A questionnaire was developed specifically for this study which included Sheier and Carver's (1985) Life Orientation Test, Rosenberg's (1965) Self-Esteem Scale, and several other established measures. In addition, participants read five scenarios depicting couples on the verge of divorce and were asked to rate each impending divorce for its likelihood and its acceptability. Results indicated that all participants were …

Working Between Two Worlds: Qualitative Methods And Psychology, Jeanne Marecek

Psychology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Toward Transformative Dialogue, Kenneth J. Gergen, S. Mcnamee, F. Barrett

Psychology Faculty Works

Drawing from a social constructionist theoretical orientation, and a range of congenial practices, we propose the concept of transformative dialogue which stresses relational responsibility, self-expression, affirmation, coordination, reflexivity, and the co-creation of new realities. We see conversational moves that accomplish these aims as highly promising; at the same time there is no attempt in the present article to suggest these as ultimate solutions to employ in situations of conflict. The present is an attempt to generate a potentially useful vocabulary rather than a strict set of rules for negotiating among incommensurate realities.

Dreams And Reflections Under A Hill: Fragments Of A Triviographic Description Of The Umbra Vale By A Xxth-Century Ex-Soviet Transrational Traveler, T. R. Soidla

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

NA

Continuity And Modularity In Language Acquisition And Research, Jill De Villiers

Philosophy: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Perkaitan Antara Kognisi, Bahasa Dan Komunikasi : Satu Kajian Kes, Noor Hasnoor Mohamad Nor

Student Works (2000-2009)

The purpose of this study is to observe the inter-correlation of cognition, language and communication in normal individual subject. The concept, structure and function of each factor is the basis of the said intercorrelation. The researcher expounds two theories on language acquisition, that is behaviourist and mentalist, as well as study the acquisition along with phonological, morphological, syntax and semantic levels. The intercorrelation of cognition, language and communication is subsequently refined using two methods - external and internal - as previously used by Foss and Hakes (1978). Internal representation is observed via cognition and semantic aspects, whereas external representation via …

Communication Skills Of Autistic Malaysian Children Undergoing The Aba Programme, Chithra K. M. Krishnan Adiyodi

Student Works (2000-2009)

The aim of this research was to diagnose the communication ability of a group of ten children with autism who were undergoing the Applied Behaviour Analysis programme at a NASOM Autistic Educational Centre in Klang. The research also set out to show that these children were able to use in their daily life the skills that they have learnt in the programme. The ability of these children to communicate before and after the intervention was noted by using a Behavioural Language Assessment Form. through interviews with teachers and in the observations of the researcher. It was found that some communication …

Locus Of Control And The Intention Of Being An Entrepreneur Among Malaysian Graduates, Yoke Kham Lam

Student Works (2000-2009)

This study examines the relationship between Locus of Control and the intention of being an entrepreneur among Malaysian graduates. This study first investigate the effect of Locus of Control on the intention to become an entrepreneur among 100 of respondents, as measured by statistical testing on answered survey questionnaire. Further, this study extends the analysis by examining the relationship between ethnic group and the intention of being an entrepreneur among Malaysian graduates. The results showed no significant relationship between ethnic group and the intention of being an entrepreneur among Malaysian graduates. This study also examined the relation between gender and …

Money Attitude And Compulsive Buying Behaviour Among Urban Malaysians, Boon Chui Teo

Student Works (2000-2009)

This paper seeks to explore the attitude of urban Malaysians towards money, Ethnic and gender differences on their money attitude were examined. In addition to exploring money attitude, compulsive buying, a specific aspect of abnormal consumer buying was investigated. Specifically, the intent of this study is to examine the extent to which money attitude influence compulsive buying. This study involved 270 respondents from the urban areas in the Klang Valley and Kuala Lumpur and was conducted using survey approach to a convenient sample of consumers. Gresham and Fontenot's Money Attitude Scale ( 1989) and later modified to reflect money behaviour …

Perceptual Cues And Subjective Organization In A Virtual Information Workspace, Todd M. Eischeid

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The key to effectively using the immense body of data on the Internet is an efficient method of organizing relevant information. Researchers and designers are beginning to promote the advantages of three-dimensional (3D) models of information storage and retrieval; however, the potential benefits of perceptual depth cues have not been systematically studied.

The present study used a computer task to examine the effectiveness of three types of virtual desktops. A two-dimensional (2D) virtual desktop display, lacking in the cues that give the illusion of depth, was compared to two different 3D virtual desktops, both of which used perceptual cues to …