Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

State-Corporate Crime In The U.S. Nuclear Weapons Production Complex: A Case Study, David Kauzlarich

Masters Theses

The objectives of this research are (1) to identify the characteristics of the environmental law violations committed during the production of nuclear weapons, (2) to identify the historical forces and events which have contributed to those violations, and (3) to use data on the illegal acts of the nuclear weapons production complex to help adjudicate between a number of competing explanations of the causes of organizational crime.

This research, a qualitative, socio-historical case study, found that a historical and structural level of analysis is best equipped to explain the causes of the weapons production complex's criminality. The conclusion of this …

Effects Of Differential Force Requirements On Choice Behavior Under Concurrent-Chain Schedules, Randal D. Reynolds

Dissertations

Concurrent-chain research shows that choice behavior is sensitive to differential delays to reinforcement but apparently insensitive to differential response-requirement factors. To date, however, no studies have directly investigated the effects of differential force requirements on choice behavior under concurrent-chain schedules. This relationship will be the focus of the present study.

In Experiment 1 rats responded on conventional concurrent-chain schedules and were given a choice between different terminal-link force requirements. The force requirement on one terminal-link lever was 0.25 N while the force requirement on the other lever was varied from 0.25 N to 1.51 N across conditions. For comparative purposes, …

Effects Of Interactive And Linear Video On Patient Understanding Of Risks In Medical Procedures, Christopher P. Giuliano

Dissertations

Three methods of providing information relevant to informed consent where a vaginal birth after cesarean section was being considered were evaluated; (1) the traditional and common method (physician presentation), (2) Linear Video Tape (LVT), and (3) Interactive Video Disc (IVD). The traditional and common method of presenting information led to only limited acquisition of knowledge resulting in patients making less than fully-informed decisions. Both the linear video tape and the interactive video disc led to significantly greater understanding of the risks and benefits of the procedure than did the physician presentation. The interactive disc and the linear video tape were …

A Validation Of The Family Of Origin Scale Using Alcoholic And Mental Health Patients, Arthur J. Fedor

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to add to the knowledge of family of origin assessment by demonstrating the utility of the Family of Origin Scale (FOS; Hovestadt, Anderson, Piercy, Cochran, & Fine, 1985) as a posttreatment measure of change with clinical samples. In this context, a second feature of the study was a further validation of the FOS.

Eighty-one clinical subjects in inpatient alcoholism treatment centers and outpatient mental health clinics were administered the FOS prior to treatment and again following treatment. Although the pretest-posttest model of the study was a quasi-experimental design, the focus was on the FOS's …

A Parent Training Program For Teaching Preschool Children Independent Self-Care Skills, Dalene Rooks Degraaf

Dissertations

Teaching children to be independent is a challenge for parents. Initially, parents directly prompt and consequate their children’s behavior. Later, the parents fade prompts and delay consequences expecting their children to use self-management skills and environmental cues to complete tasks. The purpose of this study was to observe some of the methods which parents use to teach their 4-year-old children independent self-care skills and test the effects of a parent training program. The program was designed to transfer stimulus control from the parent’s physical or verbal prompts to textual and picture prompts on a poster listing the morning self-care skills …

Psychological Correlates Of Sinus Headache, Stanley R. Carlock

Dissertations

This study comprised a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial for evaluating the pharmacological efficacy of ibuprofen when given in combination with pseudoephedrine on an outpatient basis to 52 patients diagnosed with sinus headache. The patients were administered a psychological test battery consisting of the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) (Gough, 1948), the Millon Behavioral Health Inventory (MBHI) (Millon, Green, & Meagher, 1979), and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire (Nowlis & Green, 1957) to evaluate the possibility that specific psychological and personality characteristics might differentiate these patients from individuals on whom the psychological test instruments were normed. Additionally, the probability …

Ease Of Learning And The Emergence Of Equivalence Class Formation: A Comparison Of Topography-Based And Selection-Based Paradigms, Riad M. Wraikat

Dissertations

Michael (1985) identified two types of verbal behavior, topography-based (i.e., speaking or using sign language) and selection-based (i.e., symbol board). Sundberg & Sundberg (1990) and Wraikat (1991) compared these systems in terms of the ease of learning object naming (tact) and giving the correct sign or pointing to the correct symbol on hearing the object name (intraverbal). Sundberg & Sundberg (1990) also compared them for the spontaneous development of a new relation, identifying the object when hearing its name (stimulus class formation or equivalence). The results of both studies favored the topography-based system, but in each case some subjects were …

Racial Differences In The Use Of Drugs And Alcohol Among Low Income Youth And Young Adults, John E. Poulin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examines the use of drugs and alcohol among 284 youth and young adults of a low income urban community. Racial differences in the use of drugs and alcohol are examined for four age groups between 12 and 25.

Overall, the findings show significant racial differences in the use of both drugs and alcohol. Black youth and young adults have lower drug use and alcohol use rates than their white peers. The differences hold for the four age groups examined. Implications of the findings for drug prevention programs are discussed.

Social Support For The Black Elderly: Is There A Link Between Informal And Formal Assistance?, Susie A. Spence

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study explores informal and formal social support among a sample of elderly southern Blacks. The results reveal that all respondents received informal assistance and that while overall formal assistance was low, a number of respondents received support from both sources. The author discusses these findings in relation to the supplement model of elderly social support and their implications for social service providers.

Mental Health Services: An International Perspective, Thomas R. Holmes, Merl C. Hokenstad

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper provides an introduction to this special edition on international mental health perspectives. The importance of an international perspective is discussed and key questions are raised to provide the reader with a frame of reference for examining the mental health systems in the countries presented. An orientation to some of the current mental health issues in Europe, the United States, and developing countries is given as point of comparison for the reader. Questions discussed relate to the status of institutional care, outpatient services, the composition of mental health staff, the role of community interventions and prevention, and the availability …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 18, No. 2 (June 1991)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

SPECIAL ISSUE ON MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES: AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

• FOREWORD
• MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES: AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE - Thomas R. Holmes and Merl C. Hokenstad
• THE DEVELOPMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: THE CASE OF RWANDA - Froduald Gatarayiha, Franz Baro, Morton 0. Wagenfeld,
• & Rene Stockman
• MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN INDIA - S. Rajkumar
• MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN MEXICO - Teresa Lartigue and Juan Vives
• MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN EGYPT - A. Okasha
• MENTAL HEALTH POLICY AND PROGRAMS IN ISRAEL: TRENDS AND PROBLEMS OF A DEVELOPING SYSTEM - Uri Aviram
• MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN HONG KONG: HISTORY, MODERN …

The Global Economy And The American Welfare State, Howard Jacob Karger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The American social welfare state is approaching a crisis because of the global economy. Survival in a new world economy requires corporations to become more efficient, a strategy which leads to a rapidly changing technology, plant shutdowns, and industrial reorganization. To aid corporations, government often curbs taxes to make capital available for investment. These policies can lead to governmental debt, reduced welfare services, a deterioration in the infrastructure, and myriad social problems. This article investigates the effects of the global economy on the American welfare state.

War, Peace, And "The System": Three Perspectives, Paul Adams

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social workers have sometimes seen war as part of a larger system and as linked to other forms of violence or social evil. This article considers three kinds of analysis which identify different systems (capitalism, patriarchy, and exterminism), see the links in different ways, and lead to different practical conclusions. Each perspective is examined in terms of its capacity to explain the phenomena it describes and to identify a social change strategy that can eliminate them. It is suggested that social workers may be professionally predisposed to select among these perspectives for reasons other than their explanatory power or strategic …

The Effects Of Immediate Versus Delayed Feedback On Error Detection Accuracy In A Quality Control Simulation, Matthew A. Mason

Masters Theses

A computer simulation was developed to examine the effects of immediate versus delayed visual feedback on the accuracy of identifying specified aberrations in sample stimuli. In a self-paced computer tutorial, subjects learned to identify particular aberrations in a schematic diagram of a hard disk drive. During experimental sessions, subjects were exposed to a series of 200 samples presented four at a time sequentially on a computer screen, and were required to indicate with a computer mouse whether or not each sample drive contained an aberration. Accuracy of error detection was assessed under four experimental conditions: (1) self-paced, immediate feedback; (2) …

The Siriono People Of Eastern Bolivia: Cultural Survival Amidst Directed Social Change, Ronald S. Scholte

Masters Theses

This thesis is an ethno-historical reconstruction of the Siriono from their roots among the Paraguayan Guarani of the 16th century to the present Siriono life styles in eastern Bolivia. A description of the Siriono culture at the time of contact is juxtaposed with analyses of the current varying results of post-contact approaches to directed social change taken by outsiders among the Siriono.

The findings from this study indicate that: (a) to the extent that underdevelopment does exist among the Siriono it is not only the result of contact this century, but began as a process of deculturation long before contact; …

The Effects Of Mephenytoin On Schedule-Controlled Responding In The Pigeon, Victoria Mary Pellettiere

Masters Theses

Acute and chronic effects of mephenytoin (30 - 360 mg/kg) were examined in pigeons responding under a multiple fixed-ratio 50 fixed-interval 90-sec schedule of food delivery. The highest dose administered acutely (240 mg/kg) produced substantial reductions in rate of responding under both components of the multiple schedule; the effects of other doses were small and inconsistent. Tolerance appeared to develop to the rate-decreasing effects of mephenytoin following chronic exposure to the drag.

The Development Of Mental Health Services In Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case Of Rwanda, Froduald Gatarayiha, Franz Baro, Morton O. Wagenfeld, Rene Stockman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper considers several aspects of the evolution, organization and current status of the mental health system of Rwanda. The centerpiece of the Rwandan mental health system is the neuropsychiatric hospital in Ndera. Resource constraints preclude development of an extensive system of specialty mental health care. The World Health Organization has proposed that mental health services can best be delivered in developing countries through decentralization and integration with primary health care services. The accomplishments and problems encountered in implementing this model in Rwanda are described and, based on this experience, some recommendations are offered for other developing countries.

Mental Health Services In India, S. Rajkumar

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

India has a population of over 800 million of which about 20 million are suffering from a mental illness. In terms of numbers of patients alone, mental health planners are presented with quite a challenge. How the challenge is being met is the topic of this article. Governmental efforts need to be augmented by voluntary agencies and private practitioners for optimal mental health care. Despite deficiencies, India is a pace setter for many developing countries. It has the political will to initiate needed changes. Aftercare services for the mentally ill should be a top future priority.

Mental Health Services In Mexico, Teresa Lartigue, Juan Vives

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The history of mental health services in Mexico is traced from the time of the Spanish conquest to modern times. The present structure of mental health services is outlined as it relates to the overall social services and health\care system in Mexico. Inpatient, aftercare, partial hospitalization, and outpatient service are outlined and described. Levels of service and distribution of facilities and staff by region are given. Methods of intervention are described from traditional healers, to highly specialized modern psychiatry, to innovative community self-management programs. Key issues in the future are financial resources, distribution of services and staff, and ways to …

A Cross-Cultural Perspective On Selected Mental Health Systems, Gary Mathews, Morton O. Wagenfeld

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The information provided from authors around the world on their respective mental health systems is analyzed and compared. Several key dimensions are utilized, including the relationship of mental health services to other services, institutional care, community care, staffing, prevention and mental health promotion services, and accessibility. Resources and governmental priorities are identified as being essential to the provision of effective services. It is clear that the general trends identified by the experts for mental health in both developing and developed countries are by no means universal in applicability.

Job Satisfaction Among Paraprofessionals In Israel, Moshe Sherer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study deals with paraprofessional job characteristics, motivation and satisfaction. The subjects represented two paraprofessional groupsstreet corner workers, who enjoy a relatively high status, and homemakers, whose status is relatively low. The purpose of the study was to examine job characteristics that influence the level of job satisfaction and motivation. Analysis of responses to the Job Diagnostic Survey (Hackman & Oldham, 1975) indicates that different variables contribute to and explain the level of job satisfaction and motivation of each group. The results are discussed in the light of the effects of job characteristics on the satisfaction obtained from work, and …

Mental Health Services In Egypt, A. Okasha

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper begins with a historical perspective on mental health care from ancient Egypt to modern times. Current mental health services are described including epidemiological information, the structure of services, and methods of service delivery. Contrasts are made between urban and rural community care systems. The changing demographics of institutional care are analyzed in detail and future plans for psychiatric services are discussed. The recent development of comprehensive interdisciplinary model of service and the founding of a training center for this model is described.

Mental Health Policy And Programs In Israel: Trends And Problems Of A Developing System, Uri Aviram

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Israel has an ancient history blended together with a relatively brief independent identity. An introductory section provides a backdrop for understanding mental health policies and programs in the context of the cultural and historical background of Israel's people. The second section portrays the nature of the mental health delivery system. The final section focuses on three interrelated issues: the limited development of community mental health services, the dominance of the mental hospital in the provision of mental health services, and the medicalization of mental health services.

Mental Health Services In Hong Kong: History, Modern Development, And Issues, Wai-Kwong Mak

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper provides a comprehensive account of the history, current mental health services, and related-issues in Hong Kong. Psychiatric services provided by the Government such as inpatient, outpatient, and daypatient treatments are highlighted. Community mental health services rendered by the voluntary sector such as the counseling and casework, care in half-way houses, and psychiatric nursing are also discussed. Recent statistical information provides a detailed picture of psychiatric institutions and characteristics of patients. Mental health issues typical of developed countries are discussed.

Mental Health Services In Japan, Kunihiko Asai

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Modern Japanese mental health services have their beginning with the conclusion of World War II. The system of services has since changed at all levels. New laws affording fundamental rights to mental patients were initiated in 1950, but reforms are in process even today that continue down the path toward more enlightened and specialized care. Demographic data are presented including the number of patients and their characteristics, and the number and kinds of service providers. An outline of the administration of mental health services is provided with special emphasis on institutional care. Future trends are highlighted.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 18, No. 2 (June 1991)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

CONTENTS

• GLOBAL ECONOMY AND THE AMERICAN WELFARE STATE - Howard Jacob Karger
• DOES SOCIAL SECURITY REDISTRIBUTE INCOME?: A TAX-TRANSFER ANALYSIS - Namkee G. Choi
• SOCIAL SERVICE VOUCHERS: ISSUES FOR SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE - Michael D. Parker
• HERMENEUTICS AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES: AN EVALUATION OF THE FUNCTION OF HERMENEUTICS IN A CONSUMER DISABILITY STUDY - Charles Ringma and Christopher Brown
• WAR, PEACE, AND "THE SYSTEM": THREE PERSPECTIVES - Paul Adams
• JOB SATISFACTION AMONG PARAPROFESSIONALS IN ISRAEL - Moshe Sherer
• ASIAN AMERICAN IMMIGRANTS: A COMPARISON OF THE CHINESE, JAPANESE, AND FILIPINOS - Jon K. Matsuoka and Donald H. Ryujin
• OCCUPATIONAL SOCIAL WORK …

Does Social Security Redistribute Income?: A Tax-Transfer Analysis, Namkee G. Choi

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Despite some forced-savings elements, social security is in reality a taxtransfer system based on pay-as-you-go financing. Using a tax-transfer approach, this paper analyzes the redistributive effects of social security by comparing the 1986 benefit distribution to the retired and disabled population, their dependents, and survivors with the 1986 payroll tax incidence of the working population. Findings indicate that a considerable degree of redistribution occurs from middle- and high-income tax payers to poor and near-poor beneficiaries. The paper also analyzes the demographic characteristics of taxpayers and beneficiaries to measure redistribution among different genders, marital status, age, and racial groups.

Social Service Vouchers: Issues For Social Work Practice, Michael D. Parker

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The current political climate has created renewed interest in vouchers as a method to finance and deliver human service programs. After explaining voucher theory and reviewing major voucher programs and experiments, this article discusses potential consequences of social service vouchers by identifying issues that are of concern to social work and related professions.

Hermeneutics And The Social Sciences: An Evaluation Of The Function Of Hermeneutics In A Consumer Disability Study, Charles Ringma, Christopher Brown

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper explicates the hermeneutic procedure utilized in the development and interpretation of a questionnaire for consumers with a disability regarding their perspectives on the accessibility and quality of human services they are using. It finds that consumers experience difficulty in bringing into language their critique of existing services. The paper argues the value of a hermeneutic methodology in the social sciences and its usefulness in refining qualitative survey methods designed to explicate the perspectives of those experiencing relative powerlessness in using human services. It seeks, moreover, to establish the complementarity of the hermeneutics of suspicion and those of affirmation.

Asian American Immigrants: A Comparison Of The Chinese, Japanese, And Filipinos, John K. Matsouka, Donald H. Ryujin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An historical overview of the immigration of the three most populous Asian American groups in the United States is presented. The immigrant experiences of the Chinese, Filipinos, and Japanese are compared, and the implications of their experiences for current and future immigration/ resettlement programs and policies are discussed.