Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Social Structure, Health Orientation And Health Behavior, Khalifa Ali Baej

Dissertations and Theses

An attempt has been made to examine the relationship between social structure and medical factors in a framework which links cosmopolitanism to health orientation and behavior. Specifically, this study has attempted to investigate the variations in health knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and behavior among individuals whose social structure varies in terms of cosmopolitanism.

Use Of Synthetic Speech In Tests Of Speech Discrimination, Jane S. Gordon

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to develop two tape-recorded synthetic speech discrimination test tapes and assess their intelligibility in order to determine whether or not synthetic speech was intelligible and if it would prove useful in speech discrimination testing. Four scramblings of the second MU-6 monosyllable word list were generated by the ECHO l C speech synthesizer using two methods of generating synthetic speech called TEXTALKER and SPEAKEASY. These stimuli were presented in one ear to forty normal-hearing adult subjects, 36 females and 4 males, at 60 dB HL under headphone&. Each subject listened to two different scramblings of …

Juvenile Delinquency In Saudi Arabia, Yousef Ahmed Alromaih

Dissertations and Theses

The present study involved an examination of the delinquency problem in Saudi Arabia within the framework of social control theory. Specifically, the study was based on the thesis set forth by Travis Hirschi, i.e., that delinquent acts result when an individual's bond to society is weak or broken. Also taken into account, however, were the findings from the research of Wiatrowski, et al. that suggest a need for a) some modifications in Hirschi 's conceptual framework and b) inclusion of socio-economic factors in the social control model.

Scotopic And Photopic Thresholds : A Dependent Variable For The Mccollough Effect, Marilyn Murphy

Dissertations and Theses

Previous attempts to adequately evaluate orientation-specific colored aftereffects (Mccollough Effects) have thus far been unsuccessful in yielding quantitative measures of relative strengths of the effects. Similarly, little success has been shown in previous attempts to establish what level of illumination is necessary in order to evoke the aftereffects. The present study sought to determine (a) whether threshold measurements could serve as adequate, quantitative dependent variables of the Mccollough Effects, (b) whether photopic illumination was necessary in order to evoke the aftereffect. It was predicted that the greater the number of inspection trials, the dimmer the illumination level could be in …

The Use Of Humor In The Social Construction Of Role Relationships In A Behavioral Treatment Setting, Daniel D. Martin

Dissertations and Theses

This study examined the use of humor between workers and managerial personnel of two different treatment teams within a residential treatment center for emotionally troubled youth. Three primary questions guided the research: (1) What indigenous types of occupational humor will be found within the treatment teams?, (2) How will the use of humor vary between front and back regions of treatment work?, and (3) How does occupational status affect the way in which team members target on another to be the "butt" of jokes and other humorous remarks?

United States Policy Toward Tunisian Nationalism During World War Ii, Martha Staley Marks

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis has attempted to describe the controversy between Robert Murphy and Hooker Doolittle over American policy toward the North Africans and French during World War II. The research was based primarily on material from State Department documents found in the National Archives supplemented by material from the French archives as well as memoirs, personal interviews, and histories of the period. In order for the reader to understand this particular dispute, the problem was developed in the context of the larger political scene as it evolved in North Africa. The controversy between de Gaulle and Giraud was described since it …

A Social-Psychological Case History : The Manson Incident, Judith Elaine Bullis

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the social-psychological impact of of the Manson incident; which begins with the Tate-Labianca murders, continues with the arrest of Charles Manson and some of his followers, continues with the trial of Charles Manson and the co-defendants, and results in a popular image.

An Analysis Of The Affects Of Crisis On The Decision Making Practice Of A Dialysis Program: A Case Study, James Christopher Farley

Dissertations and Theses

In 1982 the Health Care Finance Administration mandated changes in the mechanism and financing of the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Program by the provisions of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. These changes in finances and procedures became effective August 1, 1983 and have created a state of crisis for ESRD facilities program wide. This study analyzes a large non-profit dialysis program and how its decision making practices were affected 2 by the change in Medicare laws. Application of decision theory in health care provides a basis for this study on the affects of crisis on decision making.

This study …

Effects Of Urbanization On The Hydrologic Regime Of Johnson Creek, Portland, Oregon, William Vandewater Clement

Dissertations and Theses

The Johnson Creek watershed, Portland, Oregon, has undergone urbanization at an increasing rate. Excessive flooding has occurred in the lower portions of the watershed, resulting in an estimated 1.5 million dollars worth of flood losses annually. In attempts to mitigate the flooding damages millions of dollars have been spent to channelize the creek, and over 200 thousand dollars has been spent during the last 20 years on preliminary feasibility studies alone.

The author saw a need to verify that there has been a change in the rainfall-runoff relationships in the upper Johnson Creek basin since 1941 and to quantify this …

The Effect Of Problem Complexity On The Efficiency Of Intuitive And Analytic Processes, Teresa Farley Kao

Dissertations and Theses

Some investigators have suggested that when material becomes more complex, an individual is forced to use an intuitive process, while others suggest that increasing complexity forces analysis. This study was an attempt to resolve this question by manipulating rate of presentation and instructions. No effect was found due to these manipulations or due to complexity. The reason is not clear, but may be due to a combination of factors which inclined the experiment in the direction of the intuitive process.

Effect Of Menstrual Cycle On Hedonic Response To Gustatory Stimuli, Laurie Ann O'Toole

Dissertations and Theses

The present experiment was conducted to determine the relationship between the human menstrual cycle and gustatory hedonic response. Hedonic response was defined as the perceived pleasantness or unpleasantness of a taste stimulus. Gender differences in taste hedonic have been observed; these may be due to differences in endocrine systems. Animal taste preferences are altered when reproductive hormonal status is experimentally manipulated. Previous researchers report that human females' hedonic responses to sucrose vary systematically with phase of menstrual cycle.

A Comparison Of A Group Approach And A Personalized Approach In Teaching Behavior Management Techniques To Parents, Vicki Martin

Dissertations and Theses

Parent intervention programs that assist parents in increasing their skills in behavior management techniques have experienced considerable success over the last 20 years. Parent training not only aids the parent in changing the child's behavior but may be beneficial in preventing future problems.

When a program of this type is utilized with low income populations, cost effectiveness becomes an important issue. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of a parent intervention program when utilizing a group format versus a personalized, one-to-one approach to training.

The Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI) was administered pre and posttreatment …

Career Lines In The Area Of Mental Retardation, Charlotte Ballard

Dissertations and Theses

In the past few years there has been a large growth in the number of facilities and services provided to the mentally retarded in the community, as contrasted to the institutional setting.

This thesis reviews some of the factors involved in the transition to community care for the mentally retarded as a background for an examination of the characteristics and perceptions of the persons who provide community care.

The Effect On Culture-Bound Evaluation By The Intercultural Communication Workshop (Icw) At Portland State University, Marion Franc Sørensen

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect on culture-bound evaluation by the Intercultural Communication Workshop (ICW) at Portland State University. An increase in positive evaluation of an intercultural dyad was taken to indicate a decrease in culture-bound evaluation. Methodology consisted of an adaptation of Dawes' "Direct Estimation Techniques" which was utilized in creating the testing instrument. The results are inconclusive but suggest that the ICW training may be more effective in this dimension for the American students than for International students.

Fort Ross: Russian Colony In California, 1811-1841, Kathryn E. Mitchell

Dissertations and Theses

The essential objective of this study was to fill a bibliographic void of secondary source material concerning Russian California. This was accomplished by combining available translations and more specific studies on the subject into one extensive work. Introductory chapters provide: (1) a brief statement regarding Russia's massive eastward expansion through Siberia, to Kamchatka and Alaska; (2) an examination of the nature of the Russian-American Company; and (3) a detailed look at the programs instituted by the Company to provision Alaska and Kamchatka. The establishment of Fort Ross in 1811 is viewed as one of those programs. The settlement's primary function …

Counseling The Batterer, Robert Oliver Brown

Dissertations and Theses

Domestic violence has received increasing attention in recent years as an area of concern for the helping professional. Despite this interest, programs for counseling the batterer are relatively few and counseling interventions for use with this client population are in what could be termed an experimental phase. The purpose of Counseling the Batterer is to review the pertinent literature concerned with counseling the batterer, to explore several programs which have been involved in this effort, and also to design a model group counseling program for abusive males. The foundation for the model program is based on the pertinent literature and …

Developmental Sentence Scoring: A Comparative Study Conducted In Portland, Oregon, Kathryn Marie Mccluskey

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this investigation was to replicate the study conducted by Lee and Canter (1971) and Lee (1974a) to determine if a significant difference among the scores in the two studies existed due to geographical location, and to initiate the establishment of norms for the Portland, Oregon geographical area. Forty children, selected on the basis of chronological age (4.0 to 4.11 years), normal receptive vocabulary skills, normal hearing, and a monolingual background, participated as subjects. A language sample of fifty utterances was elicited from each child and analyzed according to the Developmental Sentence Scoring (DSS) procedure.

A Comparison Of Measures Of Emotions From Written Reports Of Dreams And Waking Experiences, Edward D. Conklin

Dissertations and Theses

Various researchers have noted that emotions expressed in dream reports are infrequent and, more often, unpleasant. These observations are ambiguous for several reasons: (1) Empirical opinions differ markedly with regard to the structure of mentation across the continuum of waking and sleeping experience. (2) While the waking state is usually assumed as an implicit baseline, few studies have quantitatively compared waking and dream emotions. (3) Dream researchers have not thought about the basic nature of emotions or certain constraints which sleep physiology might impose upon emotions. In light of these assertions and considerations, an intrasubject comparison of emotions in reports …

The Political Unification Of The Israeli Army, Michael Uhry Newman

Dissertations and Theses

The essay charts forty years of Zionist history to illuminate the remarkable evolution of Israel's unified, apolitical army and Israel's "democratic civil-military tradition," forged in the fires of opposing military styles, ideological rivalry, competing underground forces, war and civil war.

You Don't Have To Have A High School Education To Work Here : An Ethnography Of A Chainstore, Caroline Yvonne Princehouse

Dissertations and Theses

This ethnography is a study of the cultural scene at one store of a chain of twenty-eight retail "discount department stores"--the Bi Mart Company, a subsidiary of the Pay 'n Save Corporation. It is an exercise of an ethnographic method developed by James Spradley that is used to uncover and describe the cultural grammar of acquired knowledge which Bi Mart employees use to define and interpret their situation and to generate and understand their work. The method is based on the assumption that culture is best learned and best described (as much as possible) from the "native" point of view.

Incest : A Study In Networking In Multnomah County, Oregon, Joanne Mcclarty

Dissertations and Theses

Reported cases of incest in Multnomah County, Oregon, as in the rest of the country, are increasing yearly. Effective networking between agencies is important in order to successfully work with the problem. The research problem of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the present network of agencies working with incest in Multnomah County. In order to evaluate network effectiveness the following objectives were established: to provide a "cultural" description of the major components of the Multnomah County network; to determine whether a common definition of incest among practitioners exists and to compare the networking system in this county …

Intercultural Communication Problems Of Nigerian Students In The Portland Metropolitan Area : A Comparative Study Of A Review Of Literature And Personal Interviews, Sam Tugba

Dissertations and Theses

This study is an attempt to discover the intercultural communication problems and the methods of coping used by the Nigerian students in the Portland metropolitan extent to which these discovered problems and tried solutions compare with those of other international students that are commonly reported in the literature.

A Longitudinal Study Of Recidivism For 88 Forest Camp Inmates, Loreli S. Manning

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent a group of 88 subjects, who were sentenced to the Forest Camp in the early seventies, remained law abiding in the ten years which followed their release. In addition to analyzing recidivist patterns, the study attempted to identify which variables were associated with subsequent recidivist and non-recidivist behavior and relate those findings to previous studies in the literature.

Satisfaction And Quality : Patient Perspectives In Medical Care, Marguerite L. Foeller

Dissertations and Theses

Patient dissatisfaction with the physician/patient relationship and medical care is well documented in both the lay press and the medical literature. This problem appears to stem from communication between physician and patient and is drawing increased attention from the communication discipline. Research conducted in interpersonal communication satisfaction theory provides a basis for this study of patient satisfaction with physician/patient communication and its relationship to the perceived quality of medical care.

This paper reports two sets of interviews with a total of 108 respondents on the topic of physician/patient communication which resulted in the identification of nine salient issues which appeared …

Integration In West Africa : An Empirical Examination Of Ecowas, Stephen C. Adkisson

Dissertations and Theses

The Economic Community of West African StatQs (ECOWAS) was established by treaty in 1975 to promote the economic and political well-being of its 16 regional members. As a coordinated effort of geographically associated states ECOWAS joins an expanding group of regional integration schemes created by developing countries.

As an international organization with some claim to supranational authority the success of the ECOWAS scheme is of practical and theoretical importance. Success in this sense implies an increasing level of interaction among the ECOWAS members and the development of a regional economic and political position toward non-member states. This coordination of member …

The Psychological Intervention Of Group Therapy For Women Coping With Genital Herpes, Susan D. Ferguson

Dissertations and Theses

Three groups of women who had been diagnosed as having genital herpes completed a series of psychological assessments over the course of the four-month research period. One group received two-hour weekly group psychotherapy sessions for eight consecutive weeks as a mode of treatment intervention. Two control groups were used for efficacy of treatment comparison. One control group consisted of regular members of a local self-help chapter for herpes victims. The second control group was formed from those volunteers willing to participate, but who did not choose, or desire, any form of treatment, Outcome measures reflected a greater improvement in psychological …

Normative Data For The Tennessee Test Of Rhythm And Intonation Patterns (T-Trip), Ray Drommond

Dissertations and Theses

Prosody is the flow of speech created by controlling elements such as pitch, rate, loudness, and stress (Tiffany and Carrell, 1977). Prosody is vital to intelligibility of speech and also communicates meaning. Despite the importance of prosody, however, few tests for the adequacy of prosodic ability in young children have been published (Koike and Asp, 1981a). To remedy this paucity of tools, Koike and Asp published the Tennessee Test of Rhythm and Intonation Patterns (T-TRIP). The clinical usefulness of the T-TRIP has been limited by a lack of normative data against which to compare individual children's performance.

The purpose of …

Normative Data On The Auditory Memory Performance Of Three- And Four-Year Old Children As Measured By The Auditory Memory Test Package (Amtp), Patricia R. Davis

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to collect normative data on the auditory memory performance of three- and four-year old children as measured by the Auditory Memory Test Package (AMTP). Specifically, this investigation sought to answer one question: is the AMTP sensitive to age differences when administered to young children ages 3.0-4.11?

Dance Therapy And Self-Concept Change In Psychiatric Patients, Cheryl Jeanne Hall

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the effects of various forms of therapy (individual, occupational, and dance) on self-concept. Subjects were 29 psychiatric patients at Providence Medical Center who volunteered to participate in this study. The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS) was used to measure self-concept both at time of admission and prior to discharge. The data were analyzed in a step-wise multiple regression to determine which of the various forms of therapy are the best predictors of self-concept at second TSCS application. The results of the step-wise multiple regression did not support the hypothesis that exposure to dance therapy would be a significant …

Femininity And Self-Esteem In Professional Women, Shirley Ellen Harper

Dissertations and Theses

Research in sex-roles has found masculinity and androgyny to be correlated with self-esteem while femininity has a low or negative correlation with self-esteem. Much of the research in this area is based in studies of androgyny. Androgyny is the ability to respond in a feminine or masculine manner, depending on the situation rather than being limited to only feminine or masculine behavior because of sex-role stereotypes. In the research on self-esteem some studies have reported androgynous individuals measure high in self-esteem. Other studies have found that masculine characteristics contribute more to the self-esteem than androgynous characteristics. These results, taken together, …