Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Two Apparently Effective Strategies For Increasing Employee Compliance, Ann M. Backe

Masters Theses

The present study investigated the controlling aspects of employee participation on compliance to store procedures through the use of a total participative group and a group trained in the technical and beneficial aspects of the procedures. Five grocery store cashiers comprised the Participative Group and six cashiers comprised the Value- and Skill- Trained (VST) Group. The researcher conducted one meeting with the members of the Participative Group to design procedures to decrease the number of checks returned to the stores because of non-sufficient funds. Following the development of the new procedures, the Participative Group received technical training on the procedures. …

The Moral Majority: The Fundamental1st-Christian's Fight Against Humanism And Pluralism In American Politics, James A. Kruis

Masters Theses

The Moral Majority claims to be nonreligious but they are actually a very religious reaction against humanism and pluralism, fighting their battle from behind a facade of legitimate moral issues. Their reaction against humanism is due to their failure to distinguish properly between religion and morality. Their reaction against pluralism is a result of the fact that pluralism has been overextended and thus weakened, making it vulnerable to attack. In place of humanism and pluralism the Moral Majority advocates more freedom: freedom from government interference and freedom to solve social problems with "moral, spiritual" solutions.

The Moral Majority could make …

The Effects Of Music Upon Job Attitudes And Performance In An Industrial Inspection Task, Christopher D. Freiburger

Masters Theses

An experiment was designed to study the effects of music on the quality of inspection performance, job attitudes, and observed frequency of non-work related conversations of workers engaged in a complex, repetitive industrial inspection task in a pharmaceutical company. Three middle-aged inspectors volunteered to participate in the ABAB designed experiment. Musical selections by Muzak and Mantovani were played via portable stereo cassette players with headphones. Quality was measured by testing subjects on two sets of 1,000 test vials with 10% planted defects and recording the number of false rejects and the percent of false acceptances. Certain job attitudes were measured …

The Repeated Acquisition Procedure As A Means Of Analyzing Instructional Stimulus Control And Rule-Directed Behavior, Jeffrey S. Danforth

Masters Theses

Pre-school children were taught to emit four-response chains using the repeated acquisition design. Experiment 1 examined the effect of instructional stimuli. Many errors were made in Control Learning, followed by few errors in Control Relearning. Instructional cues resulted in few errors in the morning learning session, but many relearning errors were made. Experiment 2A determined if two-trial cuing with instructional stimuli would improve relearning performance. The result was fewer relearning errors, but the criterion required more learning trials. In Experiment 2B a rule was taught relevant to two-trial cuing. In Experiment 3 a child was told that the morning and …

The Effects Of An Instructional Package On Study Question Completion Skills Of High School Students, Jeffery David Montgomery

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to empirically evaluate the effects of an instructional package on study question behaviors. The instructional package, incorporating contingent reinforcement, modeling, feedback, contingency contracting and a programmed instruction format was implemented to train four study question answering behaviors identified through task analysis. Each subject demonstrated ability to perform the four behaviors with increased accuracy on experimental measures following training. Results indicated that the instructional package was effective in training increased accuracy in each instructional behavior for each subject. Generalized performance of these behaviors in the classroom environment, assessed through comparison of classroom grades and study …

An Analysis Of Plant Remains From Draper Park, A Late Woodland Site In Southeastern Michigan, Jean F. Marek

Masters Theses

This paper presents an analysis of the plant remains from the Draper Park site, a food processing area located on the west side of the rapids at the head of the St. Clair River, which was occupied from the seventh century through the fourteenth century A.D. Activities relating to the procurement of two primary resources, fish and squash, were carried out during spring, summer, and fall. The exploitation of wild fruits (plums, cherries, elderberries, raspberries, and grapes) was of secondary importance.

Behavioral Management Of Multiple Food Aversions Of A Multiply Handicapped Child, Steven A. Stang

Masters Theses

Several behavioral treatments utilizing the delivery of preferred food with praise contingent upon consumption of nonpreferred foods were evaluated with a multiply handicapped child who exhibited multiple food aversions. Behavioral assessments of food preferences were used to identify preferred and nonpreferred foods and to monitor changes in the subject's preferences for nonpreferred target foods relative to other foods.

Following the implementation of treatment contingencies, a modest increase in the consumption of one nonpreferred target food, and substantial increases in consumption of a second nonpreferred target food, milk, other foods appearing on the lunch menu, and essential nutrients were observed. In …

The 1932 Coup In Thailand: An Account Of A Participant In The Coup, Perasant Ratanakul Serireongrith

Masters Theses

This study is a discussion of the 19 32 military coup d'etat in Thailand and the economic, political, and social conditions that contributed to that coup. A brief historical background of the absolute monarchy of the nation is included. There is a discussion of the coup participants and their motives, as well as their planning and execution of the coup on June 24, 19 32. Throughout the study is information acquired through recent taped interviews with General Charoon Ratanakul Serireongrith, a participant of the coup.

A Short Data Based Inservice Program For Teachers Of Direct Instruction, Patricia Mckeen Salvi

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to empirically determine the effectiveness and practical aspects of a researcher developed inservice training program. This training program was used with three middle school teachers to improve theirs kills in Direct Instruction Decoding teaching techniques. The training program utilized verbal instructions, modeling, positive and corrective feedback, and checkouts to determine the teachers' mastery of each skill area trained. The trainer employed a multiple probe design, and the training proved to be effective in improving each teacher's performance across each skill area trained. The inservice program proved to be practical in that it could be …

Growth Rates: Influence Of Prednisolone, Sex And Crowding In Rats, Karen M. Allen

Masters Theses

Growth inhibition As frequently noted in the chronically ill child. Causes of such growth rate decrements appear multiple and include both internal and environmental factors. The present study analyzed growth of rats by manipulation of glucocorticoid treatment, housing conditions and sex of subject in a search for potential interactions. Specifically, body weights were assessed daily in post-weanling male and female Spraque-Dawley rats which received 16 daily I.P. injections of prednisolone acetate (0.0, 2.0, or 4.0 mg/kg) under either individual or group-housed (6/cage) conditions. Effects of dose and of sex were found, while a main effect of housing was lacking. Interactions …

Paleoethnobotany Of The Late Woodland Mason Phase In The Elk And Duck River Valleys, Tennessee, J. David Mcmahan

Masters Theses

A substantial sample of paleobotanical residues from two Late Woodland Mason phase components in southeastern Middle Tennessee were examined. The data were analyzed to determine what plants were available to Mason populations, which of those plants were utilized, the local geographic areas exploited, and the impact of man's procurement practices on the environment. Inferences derived from paleobotanical analysis are used to suggest a pattern of Mason plant utilization that can be integrated with other subsystems to provide definitive statements concerning the cultural whole. These statements provide a basis for comparing Mason with other cultural manifestations in the local cultural sequence …

Harris Lines As Indicators Of Stress: An Analysis Of Tibiae From The Crow Creek Massacre Victims, Steven A. Symes

Masters Theses

Horizontal lines of increased density in bone, or Harris lines, have intrigued scientists for over a century. While earliest Harris line research dealt with medical aspects of line formation, most recent emphasis has been anthropological in nature, utilizing Harris lines as non-specific indicators of stress. The purpose of this study is to test the usefulness of Harris lines as they are applied anthropologically.

A sample of 122 adult distal tibiae x-rays are used in this study. This skeletal sample represents massacre victims from the Initial Coalescent Tradition of the Crow Creek Site in central South Dakota. Each bone was sexed …

Survival Strategies For Tusculum College: An Ethnographic Evaluation Of Enrollment, Student Recruitment And School Image, Steven B. Hearn

Masters Theses

Many institutions of higher education have experienced a decrease in their student enrollments. One such institution, Tusculum College of Greeneville, Tennessee, has seen a drastic 55% decline in its enrollment over the past ten years. Unless this trend is reversed, Tusculum College faces a very uncertain future.

The purpose of this study was to develop a strategy which would help Tusculum College attract a greater number of students. To accomplish this, it was necessary to (1) analyze the college's current enrollment trends, (2) identify those geographic areas where the college currently attracts its greatest number of students, (3) determine the …

The Use Of Punishment In Industry, Promise Sibonisiwe Zungu

Masters Theses

This study was aimed at finding out if apparent inadequate use of punishment in industry is a problem of lack of knowledge of appropriate punishment procedures on the part of punishment agents (supervisors/managers) or a problem of execution. Variables that affect the effectiveness of punishment were identified by means of a literature search, as timing, intensity , consistency, appropriateness, providing a ration ale and punishment schedules.

Test items were constructed and administered to two groups to find out if there was any consistency between participants ' recommendations about disciplinary procedures and punishment principles. Results showed that the majority of participants …

Improving Customer Service Using A Self-Recording Checklist, Donald Troy

Masters Theses

The purpose of the present study was to investigate a method for improving customer service of three parttime salespeople. A job aid which consisted of a checklist was used to increase the frequency of eight target behaviors. The target behaviors consisted of: appropriately approaching and greeting the customer, being courteous and helpful, appropriately ringing up the sale and closing, having a neat appearance and wearing an identification badge. After training, the salespeople were taught to self-record their customer service behavior. Training increased the subjects' performance, but only had a short term effect. Customer service behaviors increased after implementing the checklists …

Community Development In Northeast Thailand A Case Study Of Don-Lum-Kom Village, Peerapat Booncharoen

Masters Theses

This is the study of community development problems confronting a rural village (Don-Lum-Kom) in Northeast Thailand. The study is based on field research and examines five major topics. First, a history of community development in Thailand is provided; second, an overview of Don-Lum-Kom village is given; third, agricultural changes are described and evaluated; fourth, educational changes are described and evaluated; and fifth, the conflict between bureaucracy and culture is examined.

The Creationist Movement: Science, Religion And Ideology, George M. Bevins

Masters Theses

A sample of literature produced by participants in the "creationist movement" is examined in an effort to delineate the ideology of the movement. This ideology is seen as a repertoire of images of science, evolution and society which is used by creationists in their efforts to propagate their movement. Based on this literature, an "ideological substructure of belief" within the creationist movement is described, consisting of their belief in a created normative order in the world and of their fear that this order is breaking down. It is argued that the various particular aspects of the creationists' social ideology, their …

The Marxian And The Weberian Theories Of Bureaucracy: Contradictions And Approximations, Khai Leong Ho

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to analyse (1) the basic elements in Marx's and Weber's theories of bureaucracy, and (2) the contradictions and approximations that appear in both the Marxian and the Weberian paradigms. An attempt is made to examine the dysfunctional aspects of bureaucracy in relation to the Weberian model, and the bureaucratization of socialism which is the unanticipated consequence of the Marxian model. The conclusion of this study indicates that the two seemingly opposite approaches, after all, have certain similarities in their theoretical framework and in their practical dilemma.

Mortuary Patterning Within The Dallas Culture At Toqua, Gary T. Scott

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the mortuary patterning at Toqua, a late Mississippian site on the Little Tennessee River in East Tennessee. Analytical considerations included testing an energy expenditure model based on burial pit size, shape, modifications, location, and grave associations.

The sample included 533 individuals from 511 burials. Non-random patterning of intra-site burial traits indicated the presence of social stratification at the chiefdom level of socio-cultural integration. There were five distinct site areas, two mounds, two villages and a structure, which were analyzed and ordered according to relative social ranking. Mound A (N=115) contained individuals with …

Multivariate Discriminant Function Analyses Of The Mandible In American Caucasoid And American Negroid Populations, Dorn P. Kile

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to develop a statistical method whereby the race and sex of an unknown individual may be ascertained from measurements taken from the mandible alone. Twenty-five such measurements were obtained from 160 mandibles representing, equally, American male and female Negro and Caucasian individuals. The skeletal collection used was the Terry collection at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

The data obtained were analyzed by nine separate discriminate functions representing various aspects of the mandible, including one which discriminated the samples by race only.

To test the significance and reliability of using such a procedure for …

The Demography, Long Bone Growth, And Pathology Of A Middle Archaic Skeletal Population From Middle Tennessee: The Anderson Site (40wm9), Bonnie C. Joerschke

Masters Theses

A biological examination of the skeletal remains from the Anderson site, 40WM9, Williamson County, Tennessee, was conducted to provide information about the nature of Middle Archaic populations from Middle Tennessee. Vital statistics were reconstructed by means of a life table assuming stable population conditions. Results of this analysis indicate a pattern of low infant/child mortality and high adult mortality. Life expectancy at birth was 23 years and the crude death rate was 43 per 1000 per annum.

The health status of the Anderson population was further inferred through investigations of long bone growth and bone pathologies. The long bone growth …

Inflation And Taxable Capacity: Some Recent Evidence, Barbara Allison Haney-Powell

Masters Theses

Colin Clark's theory of inflation has had a profound effect on present-day economic theory concerning taxation policy. While his belief that inflation occurred when all tax revenues exceeded 25 percent of national income was rejected by his contemporaries in the 1940's, supply-side economists incorporate Clark's theory into their proposals for curing the unemployment and inflation of the 1970's and 1980's. These proposals gained popular support and resulted in the election of President Ronald Reagan who implemented such proposals. The purpose of this study is to determine the veracity of Clark's theory.

Clark's theory was tested in this study with the …

The Effects Of Rater Communication Apprehension On The Evaluation Of Speaker Anxiety, Vintcent Scott Smithson

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Students' And Teachers' Perceptions Of Eligibility For High School Athletics And Other Extracurricular Activities At Windsor High School, David Rodney Delacruz

Masters Theses

This study was conducted for the purpose of gaining insights into the present perceptions of Windsor High School students, faculty, and principals from National Trail Conference schools regarding extracurricular eligibility. To accomplish this purpose, three surveys were administered to Windsor High School students and faculty. Additionally, a separate survey was sent to other schools in the National Trail Conference. The four surveys were:

Survey I - Administered to Teachers and Students

Survey II - Administered to Teachers

Survey III - Administered to Teachers

Survey IV - Sent to Principals of National Trail Conference Schools

Of the 140 students enrolled at …

Variables That Affect Success In Debate, Karen S. Shelton

Masters Theses

This study examines the effect of the six traditional categories of debate evaluation on the A.F.A. Form C and Form W ballots upon win/loss and gender. It also examines the effect of nonperformance variables, such as proximity, gender of the debaters, and gender of the judge, upon the outcome of intercollegiate debates. The data were gathered from the Owen L. Coon Memorial Debate Tournament hosted by Northwestern University in February, 1983. In all, the data pool consisted of 42 debates. The data were submitted to analysis to the SAS computer program at Eastern Illinois University.

The results of the discriminant …

Communication, The Missing Ingredient, Rex W. Eddy

Masters Theses

This writer feels that communication is a very significant aspect of the educational process. Upon assuming the principalship at Winchester High School, action was undertaken to aid the development of good lines of communication between the administration, faculty, student body and community. Basically, four distinct steps were pursued in an attempt to develop and improve upon the communication system at Winchester High School.

The first step concerned itself with the development of a comprehensive new "Student Handbook." It was immediately obvious to this writer that the rules and regulations for the daily operation of Winchester High School needed to be …

A Study Of Principals' Perceptions Of Job Stress In The Six-County Region 11 Educational Service Region, East Central, Illinois, John Neiweem

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to investigate the degree of stress principals perceive in the work environment. Specifically this study compared the actual perceived stress experienced on the job with what principals deem to be a reasonable amount of stress. The study was predicated on the research findings that indicate that the amount of stress is relative to a given individual as opposed to being an absolute quality.

A review of the research and literature revealed that few publications have been targeted towards stress and the educational administrator. The implications of job related stress, as it impacts on the …

Understanding Needs And Concerns Of Black Students In Pursuit Of Higher Education, Thomas M. Caulfield

Masters Theses

The problem of this study was to increase the general publics' awareness of the difficulties Black Americans faced in pursuit of higher education.

The procedure was a twofold process. First, the writer reviewed some of the pre-college variables that affected the Black student. Second, the needs and concerns of the Black student at a predominantly White University were studied by the use of a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to three groups on the Eastern Illinois University Campus. The first group was comprised of twenty-five Black students that were currently enrolled in the University. The second group was twenty Black …

Assertiveness Training With Mildly Mentally Retarded Institutionalized Persons, David Larry Bokor

Masters Theses

Assertiveness training is a psychological intervention strategy designed to develop the skills of individuals who fail to defend and express their rights, feelings, or beliefs in a straightfoward manner.

Currently there is no set procedure regarding the composition of assertiveness training when modified to suit the needs of various populations. However a vast majority of professionals do employ effective basic techniques, i.e. behavior rehearsal, coaching, feedback, and social reinforcement to shape assertive request and refusal behavior.

Low intelligence limits the mentally retarded person's ability to cope with emotional difficulties. Individuals that recognize their limitations often experience feelings of inadequacy, frustration, …

Development Of A Public Relations Program For The Newman Community Unit School District #303, Charles E. White

Masters Theses

Public relations is an important part of any school district's total program. To be most effective, a written, planned public relations program should be used. This field experience deals with the development of a written, planned public relations program for the Newman Community Unit School District #303 in Newman, Illinois.

The author attempts to provide information that could be used by other educators who wish to develop a public relations program for their school district. Reasons why educators must provide information about the schools to the public and involve the public with the schools are discussed. The reasons for developing …