Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Reminiscence, Disengagement, And Morale In Old Age, Barbara Brown Hardy

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to test two hypotheses concerning reminiscence in old age. Reminiscence has been found to be an adaptive mechanism relating to freedom from clinical depression and to a reduced discrepancy between present and past self-concepts in the face of an experimental social threat (Mc Mahon and Rhudick, 1964; Lewis, 1971). Disengagement theory (Cumming and Henry, 1961) proposes that reminiscence is adaptive because it is a defense mechanism which protects the individual from decreasing physical capacities and lack of reinforcement from society.

The Nixon "Shocks": Implications For Japan's Foreign Policy In The 1970'S, Richard Douglas Partch

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis examines the implications that the Nixon “shocks” may have on Japan’s foreign policy. The data used consisted of books, articles, periodicals, government publications and newspapers. Examined were such important factors as: the attitudes of the political parties in Japan on foreign policy questions, the rapid rise of the Japanese economy and the implications this has had on Japan's relations with other countries, and the question of Japan's possible remilitarization, both in conventional and nuclear terms. In addition, Japan's relations with the other three Great Powers in Asia, (China, the Soviet Union and the United States), are also studied. …

Effects Of Certain Linguistic Parameters Upon The Responses Of Preschool Subjects To Specific Dichotic Listening Tasks, Peggy J. Weber

Dissertations and Theses

Listening, as a communication skill, is an essential factor in the normal language development of the' child. Until recently, however, there has been very little research conducted concerning the linguistic parameters that influence the ability to listen. Thus, this investigation was designed to study the effects of two linguistic parameters, construction and semantic constraints on the verbal responses of preschool children in a dichotic listening task.

Fifteen children, between the ages of 5-3 to 6-8, were presented with four dichotic listening tasks consisting of 80 stimuli, (40 sentences and 40 pseudo-sentences). The children were asked to report the message delivered …

Entropy Reduction Of English Text Using Variable Length Grouping, Vincent Norman Ast Jr.

Dissertations and Theses

It is known that the entropy of English text can be reduced by arranging the text into groups of two or more letters each. The higher the order of the grouping the greater is the entropy reduction. Using this principle in a computer text compressing system brings about difficulties, however, because the number of entries required in the translation table increases exponentially with group size. This experiment examined the possibility of using a translation table containing only selected entries of all group sizes with the expectation of obtaining a substantial entropy reduction with a relatively small table.

An expression was …

Simulation Of Brain Damage On Bender-Gestalt Test By College Subjects, Arnold Rahn Bruhn

Dissertations and Theses

It is a frequent occurrence in accident cases involving alleged brain injury and attendant damage suits, for the defendant's attorney to charge the plaintiff in the case with malingering. At some time in the court proceedings it i.s also common that the plaintiff's psychologist will testify to the court that his client's brain damage is genuine, not feigned. but heretofore, clinicians have been able to speak to the court only from their own background of clinical experience, and clinicians have been known to disagree. They have not been able to refer to a body of research that has addressed itself …

Villa St. Rose Group Home Study, William H. Finkle

Dissertations and Theses

There has been a gradual move from the exclusive use of institutions for delinquent adolescents as a treatment resource to a realization that institutions need a variety of treatment methods in order to rehabilitate delinquents and other adolescents with adjustment problems. Villa St. Rose is an example of an institution which has acknowledged the effectiveness of developing a therapeutic milieu based on a professional institutional program supported by community treatment in the form of a group home experience.

The Behavior Of Coalitions As Interorganizational Structures: An Exploratory Study Using A Grounded Theory Approach, Elaine Marie Rothrock

Dissertations and Theses

This study is one of four exploratory studies concerned with coalitions of organizations that are formed to plan and develop social welfare programs within the local community. Although each study was conducted independently, taken together their major purpose was to develop some insights and knowledge into the behavior of organizations and the ways in which they interact as they work together to develop community programs. They are, then, exploratory studies of inter-organizational behavior.

Each of the studies had a different focus. One study attempted to identify the present areas of agreement and disagreement regarding inter-organization behavior by systematically reviewing the …

Auditory And Visual Sensory Stores: A Recognition Task, James Barr Richardson

Dissertations and Theses

A probe-stimulus recognition technique was used to test hypothesized differences in visual and auditory sensory memory storage. Lists of alphabetical letters were presented visually or auditorially, each followed by a visual or auditory probe. Performance on the auditory lists was predicted to be better than on the visual lists. Moreover, auditory lists followed by a visual probe (AV) were expected to show a decrement in performance in comparison to auditory list-auditory probe tasks (AA). Visual lists followed by an auditory probe (VA) were likewise expected to result in a decrement in performance in comparison to visual list-visual probe tasks (VV). …

A Survey Of Non-White Social Service Personnel In The State Of Oregon, Phillis Benton, Patricia Riley, Cynthia Southwell, Dennis Wong

Dissertations and Theses

The National Association of Social Workers and the Council on Social Work Education are concerned with the eradication of racism within the social work profession and the nation at large. Graduate schools throughout the country are presently attempting to come to grips with this elusive and pervasive problem. The School of Social Work at Portland State University is among these schools.

In early 1972, the Portland State University School of Social Work formalized and adopted a specific policy regarding recruitment, education, and issues concerning non-white students and communities. In doing so, this school became the first School of Social Work …

An Analysis Of Change In Girls Released From Villa Saint Rose, H. Marie Ades

Dissertations and Theses

When juveniles are defined by society as delinquent they are frequently institutionalized. These institutions are referred to as reform schools, correctional institutions or schools, residential care facilities, treatment centers, or variations of the above. They are state sponsored or privately sponsored. Whatever name is on the sign by the front door, each institution is in the business of "people changing."

The excellence of an inanimate product can be measured, weighed, checked, and reproduced; but an altered person is more difficult to measure. If one is in the business of people-changing, it seems important to see if one is in fact …

Diagnostic Congruence: A Study On Presentation Of Clinical Information To Parents And Recall, Miriam Rae Maier

Dissertations and Theses

The present study was an investigation of recall following presentation of diagnostic information. The setting was the Crippled Children's Division of the University of Oregon Medical School. The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that one session conferencing imparting diagnostic information to parents of handicapped children reduces recall. Additionally, it was hypothesized that multi-discipline conferencing is related to greater diagnostic recall than single discipline conferencing. The sample was made up of 20 parent units whose children were evaluated at the Crippled Children's Division for suspected Cerebral Palsy and/or Mental Retardation. There were ten families from the Cerebral …

A Functional Interpretation Of Pottery From Batan Island, Philippines, Joanne M. Laetsch

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is a report on a pottery analysis which was carried out in the laboratory of the Department of Anthropology at Portland State University. The earthenware materials involved were collected from three surface sites on Batan Island, Philippines, during the summer of 1969.

The interpretation of these potteries was based upon the direct-historical approach to archaeological research. The use of this method was proposed after a cursory examination of the earthenwares revealed certain general similarities between the archaeological potteries and the ethnographically-known wares produced in the area at the present time. One of the sites was a known habitation, …

The Impact Of Coordination By A Child Abuse Committee On Community Services To Battered Children, Grace Jackson Anders, Rebekah M. Burton

Dissertations and Theses

The Child Abuse Committee at the University of Oregon Medical School has assumed a coordinating role as an attempt to provide more effective service to abused children and their families. This research report is a follow up to a 1970 study by Matusak which evaluated the effectiveness of the Committee. The Matusak study seemed to indicate that, because of Committee action resulting in appropriate intervention and services, definite improvement in the situation of the children in the study was seen. This study follows the children from the 1970 study one year later and makes further comparisons of child abuse cases …

Coping Patterns Of Those Denied Public Assistance -1970, Robert A. Turcotte, Anita L. Wahl

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this project was to explore the coping patterns of people denied public assistance. The primary focus was on resources available and used by those denied to assist them in the situation that led them to apply for public assistance in the first place.

A review of the literature revealed that very little is known concerning those denied public assistance. This project is one of the first to study the problem of how those denied manage after denial.

The data for this project was gathered by the use of an interview schedule administered in personal interviews with those …

A Study Of The Legal Aid Family Law Center And Its Clients, By Cynthia Ann Thomas [And] Susan Marie Vail, Cynthia Ann Thomas, Susan Marie Vail

Dissertations and Theses

The family is the basic unit in our society. When there is a breakdown in this unit, specifically in the marital relationship, the effect upon the husband, wife, and children can be devastating in terms of poverty, abuse, and cost to society. The frequent inability of the poor to obtain counseling and legal assistance in resolving family relationships perpetuates the social and psychological results of a poor marriage. This study is concerned with poor persons and their ability to receive both legal and counseling services for their family problems 0 Other concerns are with the questions of alternatives to divorce …

Degree Of Depression In Women Preceding Abortion At The University Of Oregon Medical School, William M. Nathe, Ike R. Lacefield

Dissertations and Theses

This evaluation was undertaken because of an interest by the authors in the abortion program at the Medical School. Interest in the emotional status of patients receiving abortions was aroused while working in a field placement at the Medical School through the Portland State University School of Social Work.

With the consent and assistance of the Obstetrics-Gynecology Department and the Director of Social Services, this study was initiated with the hope that it would be a step toward providing an over-all and continuing assessment of information about the women receiving abortions. The researchers' particular area of interest concerned the characteristics …

W. S. U'Ren And The Fight For Government Reform And The Single Tax: 1908-1912, David Elvin Lindstrom

Dissertations and Theses

In the study of Oregon politics, the importance of developments in the early twentieth century have been largely overlooked by popular historians. As a result, many have lost the perspective of the sweeping reforms that reformers presented to Oregon's electorate. Another complicating factor is that voters dealing with the issues during the period had such disparaging attitudes towards some of the reforms, that no thought was given to preserving their memory for future generations. In addition, the personal papers of W. S. U'Ren, Oregon's leading reformer, are not available. This makes perspective even more difficult. Therefore, the research problem is …

A Review Of "Longitudinal Study" In Developmental Psychology, Emily H. Finley

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this library research thesis is to review the "longitudinal study" in terms of problems and present use. A preliminary search of the literature on longitudinal method revealed problems centering around two areas: (1) definition of "longitudinal study" and (2) practical problems of method itself. The purpose of this thesis then is to explore through a search of books and journals the following questions:

1. How can “longitudinal study” be defined?

2. What problems are inherent in the study of the same individuals over time and how can these problems be solved?

A third question which emerges from …

Selection Of Practice Models For Social Work, Linda Fritz

Dissertations and Theses

This paper will focus upon the value positions underlying two social work models: the traditional or psychodynamic and that of behavior modification. It is recognized that there are areas in which those two approaches do not seem far removed, e.g., with some neo-behaviorists and/or some ego psychologists. However, to the extent that the lines become very blurred, so does the clarity of position or practice. Like many practitioners who claim to be “eclectic,” it becomes extremely difficult to find out where they are and what they do value at a given point in time. Why do social workers become so …

Report On Faculty And Student Evaluation Of Instructors In Direct Service Teaching At Portland State University Graduate School Of Social Work, Janet Mansfield, James Mcdevitt

Dissertations and Theses

The classroom as a messenger of learning and awareness is an honored institution. Education promotes the spirit of inquiry. Concurrently, inquiry spearheads research. As students who have spent many hours in a classroom, we have wondered, inquired, into the spirit of the classroom. Our research is devoted to gaining and establishing a series of perspectives as to what occurs in the classroom.

Our research is concerned with specific characteristics of the teacher-learner relationship and outcomes of that relationship. Specific characteristics of the student-teacher relationship such as effective communication, clarity of course objectives, or the quality of class lectures, have been …

Nursing: A Profession In Process, Mary Elizabeth Dilling Rambousek

Dissertations and Theses

The general concern of this thesis is with the professional status of nurses in the United States. Specifically, the focus is on the progression of nursing along the occupation continuum toward professionalism. The perspective of this study was adopted from Elliot A. Krause's discussion of "A Historical Perspective" in his "The Sociology of Professions." Krause maintains that an analysis of the past key periods of the history of an occupation can provide a basis for predicting what it will become in the future. The acceleration of change in all aspects of society, and particularly in the role of the nurse …

An Exploratory Analysis Of Developmental Sequences In Interorganizational Coalitions Involved In Community Planning, Clifford Albert Snyder

Dissertations and Theses

This study is one of four exploratory studies concerned with coalitions of organizations that are formed to plan and develop social welfare programs within the local community. Although each study was conducted independently, taken together, their major purpose was to develop some insights and knowledge into the behavior of organizations and the ways in which they interact as they work together to develop community programs. They are then, exploratory studies of interorganizational behavior.

A Scale Of Verbal Accessibility In Mild And Borderline Retarded Adults, Keith Baker

Dissertations and Theses

This is the forth study of verbal accessibility undertaken at the Portland State University School of Social Work. The first two completed in the years 1967 (Kresse, et al., 1967) and 1968 (Walker, et al.,1968) dealt with the area of marriage. The third completed in 1969 (Metz, et al., 1969)dealt with the authoritarian family ideology. The intent of this study is to determine if that material can be applied to use with the retarded adults being placed from Fairview Hospital and Training Center . This is the major State Institution for care and treatment of the mentally retarded in the …

The Transition To Nazism, The History Of The German Town Of Pfungstadt, 1928 To 1935, David E. Arns

Dissertations and Theses

Pfungstadt is a small German town which to date has not earned a footnote in the histories of either the Weimar Republic or the Third Reich. Based upon the efforts of men in towns like Pfungstadt (and towns which were not like Pfungstadt) the members of the Nazi party built a political structure which reached to the pinnacle upon which Adolf Hitler stood. Researching the growth of the Nazi party, the intense struggles that occurred with democratic forces, the seizure of power and the installation of a workable system of government is the problem. This thesis in no way purports …

A Descriptive Study Of Educational Background, Contraceptive Knowledge, And Choice Of Agency Among Selected Girls 18 Years Old And Under Seeking An Abortion At The University Of Oregon Medical School, Carol A. Carter, Lititia J. Kirk, Jane F. Ogier

Dissertations and Theses

This study was conducted at the University of Oregon Medical School located in Portland, Oregon. This school has performed many abortions since Oregon liberalized its abortion law in 1969. In Oregon in 1968 before the abortion law was changed there were 238 abortions performed, 35% of these were for women under the age of 19. During 1971 there were 6,997 abortions of these 2,625 were for girls of age 19 and younger.

Preschool Predication Of First Grade Social And Emotional Adjustment, Benjamin Sherrill

Dissertations and Theses

The prediction and/or early identification of problems of the first grader are of concern of concern to educators, school psychologists, and those engaged in elementary school social work. Social and behavioral problems interfere with the child's ability to succeed in school and it is clear that if these difficulties could be anticipated early in the first grader's school experience there could be immediate intervention to enhance his chance for success.

The Role Of Social Work In Genetics Counseling, Diane Margaret Plumridge

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this practicum is to demonstrate the need for social workers to be employed by Genetics Clinics as a member of the genetics team, the hypothesis being that there is need for social work involvement in the field of medical genetics. Research was completed through a survey of the literature in the field of: counseling problems in genetic counseling, social work involvement in genetics clinics, the role of nursing in genetic counseling, and psychological studies concerning problems of genetic counseling. Literature in these areas was extremely limited During the summer of 1971, a questionnaire was sent to ninety …

Interpolated Activity Effects In Distributed Practice, Ramond King Stout

Dissertations and Theses

The purposes of this study were to evaluate the effect of different rest interval activities in distributed practice (DP) upon the rate of learning a PA task, to evaluate the effectiveness of different rest interval activities in controlling rehearsal, and to investigate the role of rehearsal in DP performance.

Three experiments compared three different pairs of rest interval activities. One pair of activities, color naming (CN) and sequential addition (SA), was machine paced (MFA). A second pair, cartoon reading (CR) and symbol cancellation (SC), was self-paced (SPA). The third pair required no formal activity (NFA), Ss were instructed to rehearse …

An Approach To The Decentralization Of Health Care Services In Multnomah County, Oregon, Stephen L. R. Cook, Roger George Philippi

Dissertations and Theses

In the past several years, the subject of health care delivery has assumed increasing importance as a public issue. Congressional hearings, public and private commissions, and task forces have investigated the functioning of the health care system in depth, reporting that access to the system is impeded by financial barriers and by inefficiency of the delivery system. Medicare and Medicaid have attempted to surmount the financial barriers for, some segments of the population, and more inclusive health insurance proposals are being considered in Congress. The Healthright program, under the Economic Opportunity Act, has stimulated efforts to improve the delivery system …

Psycho-Social Aspects Of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia In Children, Sally Myers Hingley, Judith Ann Mckay

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the study was to assess psycho-social differences between two groups. A review of the literature suggested psychological and social factors may affect the onset and progression of malignant disease. Comparisons were made between a group of 23 experimental families with a leukemic child, and a group of control families with a normal child matched for child's sex, age, and number of siblings. Data. was gathered on three quantifiable measures; Coddington's Social Readjustment Rating Questionnaire; a specially constructed Child's Questionnaire, and The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.

The leukemic children and their matched normal controls had approximately equal numbers, …