Effects of Reflection, Probing and Paradoxical Therapist Responses on Client Self-Acceptance (open access)

Effects of Reflection, Probing and Paradoxical Therapist Responses on Client Self-Acceptance

Client self-acceptance is a crucial element of mental health and a goal of psychotherapy. It has been demonstrated that client self-disclosure in psychotherapy is instrumental in the promotion of self-acceptance. Reflection, probing, and paradoxical therapist responses frequently are used to elicit self-disclosure. Cognitive dissonance theory was used to provide a theoretical understanding of these techniques and their use in the promotion of self-acceptance. Reflection, probing, and paradoxical responses were conceptualized as providing a client with different perceptions of choice over self-disclosure that may affect the occurrence of self-acceptance. This study compared the effects of the reflection, probing, and paradoxical techniques on self-acceptance and anxiety following self-disclosure.
Date: August 1982
Creator: Robertson, Elizabeth A. (Elizabeth Anne)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Ordination and Cognitive Complexity as Related to Endogenous and Exogenous Depression (open access)

Ordination and Cognitive Complexity as Related to Endogenous and Exogenous Depression

Personal construct psychology, as formulated by George Kelly (1955), contributed substantial knowledge to the study of psychopathology. The small amount of research in the area of depression has focused generally on the content of self-constructs and the cognitive complexity characteristic. The purpose of this study was to examine the construct system of the depressed patient specifically by investigating the endogenicity, exogenicity, and severity of depressive symptoms in relationship to construct content as applied to others, cognitive complexity, and ordination.
Date: August 1982
Creator: Angelillo, Joseph
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sex Role Stereotypes: The Effects of Instructional Salience on Clinical Judgment of Mental Health Professionals (open access)

Sex Role Stereotypes: The Effects of Instructional Salience on Clinical Judgment of Mental Health Professionals

This investigation examines how knowledge of a researcher's intent, as well as gender, influences the clinical judgments of mental health professionals in sex role research. Conscious awareness of the study's aim was manipulated by varying experimental instructions to minimize (not salient) or maximize (salient) sex role awareness. Subjects were mental health professionals who rated a protocol of a female or male pseudopatient exhibiting masculine, and lacking feminine, stereotyped behaviors. It was hypothesized that if sex biases affect judgments, more negative ratings should be assigned to a female with cross sex role behavior than to male-appropriate role behavior. Differences should be greater when subjects were unaware of the nature of the study.
Date: August 1982
Creator: Austad, Carol Shaw
System: The UNT Digital Library
Job Satisfaction and Group Industrial Accident Rates (open access)

Job Satisfaction and Group Industrial Accident Rates

It was hypothesized that group industrial accident rates would be negatively related to job satisfaction. An employee opinion survey measuring satisfaction with various aspects of the job was administered to 1,577 non-exempt (hourly) field workers in 36 district offices of a Texas petroleum services company. Factor analysis of the survey revealed five interpretable sub-scales (factors) measuring five aspects of job satisfaction. Internal consistency reliability for each of the sub-scales and for the instrument as a whole was high (.83 or better). For each of the 36 districts, group accident rate for a six month period was determined. A correlational analysis was then done between district accident rate and the district satisfaction score for each factor and for total satisfaction. None of the correlations were significant.
Date: August 1982
Creator: Grant, Lynne Corney
System: The UNT Digital Library
Cognitive Evaluation Theory Applied to Nonhuman Subjects (open access)

Cognitive Evaluation Theory Applied to Nonhuman Subjects

The Cognitive Evaluation Theory explains the outcomes of studies employing Deci's paradigm, but only when used post hoc. A basic assumption is that extrinsic rewards always increase intrinsic motivation for nonhuman subjects. Deci's paradigm was modified for use with 22 rats to test this assumption. Running in an exercise wheel was the intrinsically motivated activity studied. ANCOVA revealed that external rewards increased intrinsic interest on the first day following the cessation of reinforcement (F = 8.32), but on two subsequent days and again a week later, no significant differences between the reward and control groups were evident (F = .29; F = .33; F = 3.70). The assumption was not supported. It was demonstrated that repeated posttest measures are necessary to avoid basing conclusions upon one point along the extinction continuum.
Date: August 1982
Creator: Hafer, Donald G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
An Investigation of Black Stepmother Stress (open access)

An Investigation of Black Stepmother Stress

Much research conducted on stepmothers has not been racially representative. This includes Janice Nadler's (1976) research on three psychological stresses (anxiety, depression, and anger) of stepmotherhood. To investigate the stress of black stepmotherhood, this study replicated a portion of Nadler's investigation on a black sample. It was hypothesized that 1) black stepmothers would report more stress than black natural mothers; and that 2) black stepmothers would report more stress than the white stepmothers in Nadler's study. The data indicated no significant difference in the levels of stress experienced by black stepmothers and black natural mothers. Overall, white stepmothers reported more stress than black stepmothers. The former may be attributable to black stepmothers and natural mothers having the same support system, the black extended family.
Date: August 1982
Creator: Rodgers, Jacquelyn
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development and Analysis of an Employee Attitude Survey (open access)

Development and Analysis of an Employee Attitude Survey

A factor analysis using an oblique rotation was performed on an employee attitude survey developed for a data processing company. The survey was administered to 669 volunteer employees. There were 291 males and 378 females. It was hypothesized that four main factors would be identified as "Advancement Opportunities," "Compensation and Benefits," "Management Style," and "Job." Results of the factor analysis did not confirm the hypothesized a priori factor structure. The lack of confirmation of the hypothesized factor structure was found to be a result of poor survey construction. The attitude survey was found not to be a valid measure of employee attitudes. Implications of this study suggest that a poorly constructed attitude survey may be worse than no survey at all.
Date: August 1982
Creator: Metevelis, Catherine Westbook
System: The UNT Digital Library
Subjectivity in the Performance Appraisal System of a Data Processing Company (open access)

Subjectivity in the Performance Appraisal System of a Data Processing Company

An attempt was made to determine the presence of subjectivity in the appraisal system of a data processing company. Ninety-one clerks were given individual performance ratings by their supervisors, including an overall rating and ratings on seven performance dimensions. A multiple regression performed on these data resulted in a set of empirical weights. Supervisors were also asked to rank the relative importance of each of the seven dimensions to the clerk job. The mean rankings were regarded as apparent weights. A comparison of the empirical and apparent weights led to the conclusion that supervisors were not rating their employees according to what they said was important for successful performance, thus introducing an element of subjectivity into the system.
Date: August 1982
Creator: Bierstedt, Sheryl Ann
System: The UNT Digital Library
Sex Differences in Performance Expectancies (open access)

Sex Differences in Performance Expectancies

Previous research demonstrates expectations predict actual performance. These studies evaluated the influence of other variables, specifically task sex orientation, biological gender, and sex-role identification, on performance expectancies. Two studies investigated sex differences in performance expectancies: Study 1 used a task normatively favoring males; Study 2 used a task normatively unbiased by gender. Subjects were 207 undergraduates, approximately equal numbers of males and females. Experimenter sex was controlled. Performance expectancies were influenced by interactions of task sex orientation with biological gender and task sex orientation with sex-role identification, but these variables became secondary to personal experience. These findings were interpreted as having implications on initial choice and consequent involvement in novel activities and situations.
Date: August 1982
Creator: Horne, Amy Beth
System: The UNT Digital Library
Repression-Sensitization and External-Internal Dimensions of Millon's Personality Typology (open access)

Repression-Sensitization and External-Internal Dimensions of Millon's Personality Typology

In a study using 73 females and 30 male undergraduates, information on the basic dimensions of Millon's eight personality styles was obtained from correlations of the Millon Behavioral Health Inventory with Rotter's I-E scale and Byrne's R-S scale. Hypotheses predicting a significant relationship between the active-passive and repression-sensitization were generally supported. Predictions of a significant relationship between the dependent-indepenent dimension and generalized expectancy of locus of control were not supported. Implications of these findings for the efficacy of Millon's system are discussed, along with future research possibilities.
Date: August 1982
Creator: Heath, Robert Steven
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development of an Intelligence Scoring System for Human Figure Drawings (open access)

Development of an Intelligence Scoring System for Human Figure Drawings

This research proposed developing a multivariate intelligence scoring system for human figure drawings. The 115 subjects were drawn from clinical, medical, and noninstitutionalized populations. Initially, 72 of these drawings were analyzed for detail, proportion, perspective, and overall quality. The initial factor analysis revealed two factors corresponding roughly to the WAIS Verbal Comprehension and Perceptual Organization factors. DAP items evidencing high colinearity with FSIQ were retained. Two-stage regression of DAP items within subtests onto the WVAIS FSIQ using the data from all 115 subjects yielded the final model (R = 0.85, p < 0.0001). Cronbach's Alpha and mean item commonality were computed as estimates of internal consistency (0.95 to 0.999). A second factor analysis revealed six factors associated with intelligence in the DAP.
Date: August 1982
Creator: Hickox, Sherrie Danene
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effects of Educational Level on the Appreciation of Sexist Humor (open access)

The Effects of Educational Level on the Appreciation of Sexist Humor

Superiority, control, and dominance theories of disparaging humor were reviewed, and sexist humor was studied as representative of the field. The effects of educational level and sex of subject on the judgment of humor in sexist material were investigated, utilizing a set of 50 cartoons and jokes devised to approximate overlapping standard curves on the dimensions sexist content and humor. Subjects were 71 males and 73 females, comprising 84 undergraduates and 60 doctoral graduate students. Each subject performed a forced Q sort of the jokes, with 104 rating for humor and 40 rating for sexism to establish content weights. Subjects' rankings, age, sex, and educational level were recorded upon completion of the task. Significant negative correlations were found between educational level and judgment of humor in sexist material, and female subjects judged sexist material to be significantly less funny than males. Some support was indicated for existing theories.
Date: August 1982
Creator: Gravley, Norma J. (Norma Jean)
System: The UNT Digital Library
Locus of Control as a Function of Seminary Training (open access)

Locus of Control as a Function of Seminary Training

This study sought to determine if the locus of control of seminarians is altered as a result of graduate theological training. Gaskins' (1978) locus of control scale was selected because it included God as one of several external controls. This scale was either mailed or administered directly to first year and graduating students from two Southern Baptist and two Disciples of Christ seminaries. The 187 responses revealed no significant difference between the locus of control scores of the two levels despite the fact that all but one school reported mean graduating scores lower than their first year average. The effects of seminary on locus of control appears to be statistically insignificant.
Date: August 1982
Creator: Nicholson, Stephen David
System: The UNT Digital Library
Effect of Nucleus Circularis and Lateral Preoptic Lesions on Osmotically Induced Drinking (open access)

Effect of Nucleus Circularis and Lateral Preoptic Lesions on Osmotically Induced Drinking

The area most widely associated with osmoreception has been the lateral preoptic nucleus. However, Hatton (1976) proposed that the nucleus circularis could be the actual osmoreceptor in the hypothalamus. The present study supported Hatton by using 30 rats which were randomly assigned to sham, lateral preoptic, and nucleus circularis lesion groups. After a 2-week post-operative period, half of each group was injected with isotonic saline while the other half was injected with hypertonic saline. Water consumption was measured at 10-minute intervals for one hour. Following a 4-day recovery period, the injection procedure was reversed. Analysis of difference scores, computed by subtracting the amount of water consumed after isotonic injection from the amount of water consumed after hypertonic injection, revealed a significant difference between the nucleus circularis group and the other two groups.
Date: August 1982
Creator: Wallace, Forrest Layne
System: The UNT Digital Library
Assessment of Posttreatment Follow-Up Evaluation Procedures with Alcohol-Abuse Patients: A Methodological Study (open access)

Assessment of Posttreatment Follow-Up Evaluation Procedures with Alcohol-Abuse Patients: A Methodological Study

The purpose of this project was to clarify the methodological considerations involved in the posttreatment follow-up evaluation of alcohol-abuse patients. A two-part project was undertaken in an attempt to answer the follow-up questions of how and when to measure treatment effects with discharged alcoholics. In Part I, a large-scale survey was utilized to examine return rates across various program evaluation methods and time frames. In Part II, the predictive validity of scores received at short-term follow-up in relation to scores received at 1-year follow-up was assessed for measures of psychosocial functioning and alcohol consumption.
Date: August 1982
Creator: Till, Steven Michael
System: The UNT Digital Library