The Effects of Extinction on Human Performance Following Exposure to Fixed Ratio Schedules of Reinforcement (open access)

The Effects of Extinction on Human Performance Following Exposure to Fixed Ratio Schedules of Reinforcement

This experiment examined the effects of extinction on rate of responding and several topographical and temporal measures in adult humans. Three college students were trained to type the sequence 1•5•3 on a numeric keypad on a computer. The subjects were exposed to different fixed-ratio schedules of reinforcement (FR1, FR 5, and FR10 respectively) and extinction. Subjects displayed typical schedule performances during the maintenance phase of the experiment. During extinction the performances were disrupted, they showed a "break and run" pattern and a general decrease in responding. Also, new topographical and temporal patterns emerged. These data are consistent with those reported for non-human species and special human populations.
Date: May 2000
Creator: Anderson, Richard L.
System: The UNT Digital Library

The Lower Rio Grande Valley: Are Education and Job Training Opportunities Shrinking the Labor Force?

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The purpose of this research project is to examine the educational and job-training opportunities offered in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and how the skills acquired from these programs assimilate with the job opportunities available in the area. Specifically, we will look at the counties of Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy. The central hypothesis of this project is that the Rio Grande Valley in its efforts for a more highly trained workforce may actually be enabling its workforce to seek better employment opportunities in other areas.
Date: May 2000
Creator: Foster, Jodie Randall
System: The UNT Digital Library

Utilization of the family medical leave act: A case study

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American businesses have confronted a changing world economy marked by increasing competition , technological innovation, and instability. Many more women have entered the labor force. Many families' caregiving needs are now being met by family members who also are holding down jobs. This, in turn, has fueled the rising need among employees for workplace policies that enable them to meet the often competing demands of job and home. In 1993, Congress passed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA of the Act) to provide a national policy that supports families in their efforts to strike a workable balance between the competing demands of the workplace and the home. The objective of this study is to examine the amount of FMLA lost time at one particular company in order to determine a demographic and job characteristic profile of employees who take time away from their jobs for reasons that are protected by the Act.
Date: May 2000
Creator: Mahdi, Taalib-Din N.
System: The UNT Digital Library

Work-family responsiveness in organizations: The influence of resource dependence and institutionalization on program adaptation

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Changes in workforce demographics, employee sentiments, and working conditions have increased attention on employees' needs to balance the demands of work life and family life. Despite apparent growing interest among companies to be responsive to these needs, the number of companies demonstrating high levels of work-family responsiveness is relatively small. The frameworks of resource dependence theory and institutional theory were used to develop a model to explain differences in work-family responsiveness among for-profit companies. The theoretical models were tested on survey data collected through a stratified random sample of 692 for-profit companies. The data were further enhanced with secondary data sources. While the institutional model explained more variance in work-family responsiveness than the resource dependence model, a model combining both theories best explains work-family responsiveness among for-profit companies. High industry-region diffusion of family-friendly benefits was one of several strong predictors of work-family responsiveness. Also, the greater the proportion of professionals in a company's industry, the greater was the level of work-family responsiveness. Companies that measured effectiveness outcomes were more likely to offer family-friendly benefits. The same was true for companies with more positive assessments regarding the impact of their family-friendly benefits. Organizations that were large, publicly traded, or had human …
Date: May 2000
Creator: Ruggiere, Paul
System: The UNT Digital Library