The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the cohabitation relationships of homosexual males and females on the following variables: (1) demography, (2) nature of relationship, (3) household management, and (4) sexual activity. / The sample consisted of 153 homosexuals (70 males and 83 females) from 21 different states. Most of the respondents were from Louisiana, Florida, and Massachusetts. Each respondent had been cohabiting in a "quasi-marital" union for at least two months with the largest grouping in the one to five-year range. The occupations were varied with the largest groupings in management, education, and public services. / The data collection instrument was a questionnaire developed by the investigator. It was given on a test-retest basis to establish reliability and was checked for validity through personal interviews. / The questionnaire was distributed by contact persons who were identified through friends, homophile organizations, and newspaper ads. This method of distribution allowed the respondents to remain anonymous. / The results of the study indicated significant differences between the males and females on the following variables: (1) Degrees of Expression: Emotional Involvement, Satisfaction, and Division of Household Tasks, (2) Student Status, (3) Financial Arrangements, (4) "Marriage," (5) Masculine/Feminine Sex Roles, (6) Sexual Activity, and (7) Children. Social-learning theory provided the theoretical framework through which these differences were explained. / The conclusions of this study were that homosexual males and females form intimate and meaningful relationships based on emotional involvement and commitment as well as sexuality. The results also indicated that there are significant differences between the males and females on some of the cohabitation variables due to the differential socialization of males and females in our society. However, these results cannot be generalized to the homosexual population due to lack of randomness in the sample. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-06, Section: A, page: 1928. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effects of the function served by a cartoon character, or its absense, within a printed text on learning the rules required to find a word and its definition in the dictionary. The two types of functions examined included one in which the character actually demonstrated the skill taught (modeling), and a second, where the character's function was to motivate the students' interest in the materials (motivational). This variable was also examined in relationship to its effect on learner attitudes. Participants were 99 fourth-grade students. One week after pretesting, they worked through self-instructional print materials on dictionary skills. Two criterion-referenced multiple choice posttests (immediate and delayed) were utilized to collect performance data. A questionnaire assessing attitudes towards the materials, dictionary skills and cartoons was also utilized. Data were also collected on the amount of time learners spent working through the instructional materials. In addition, a behavioral assessment, in which learners chose their preferred treatment, was utilized with a subsample of 26 students. A one-way ANCOVA, with pretest scores serving as the covariate, yielded no significant main effects of the treatments on immediate or delayed posttest performance. Futhermore, chi square analyses indicated no significant differences among treatment groups on their responses to attitudinal items. However, the subsample tested indicated a strong preference for the motivational treatment. A one-way ANCOVA reflected no differences among treatment groups in the amount of time spent on the instructional materials. Possible explanations for the results in relationship to rule-learning include: failure to provide sufficient cues to attend to model, insufficient instructional time for students to identify with the / model, and/or the type of model and medium utilized. Lack of differences in participant attitudes may be attributed to: insufficient time to change attitudes, the combination of the method used to design the instructional materials and the type of performance assessment utilized, and/or the type of attitude assessment used. Another possible explanation in relationship to both participant performance and attitudes is that the hypotheses stated were false and, in fact, there were no differences among treatments on these variables. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-07, Section: A, page: 2123. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.

Object relations theory of mate selection uses several concepts to describe the dynamics of selecting a spouse: collusion, ambivalence and idealization. From these three concepts hypotheses were developed and tested using the Leary Interpersonal Checklist. / Each respondent answered the adjective checklist from five perspectives: self, ideal self, mother, father, and fiance. The hypotheses generated were operationalized around the interaction of self perspectives, parent who one is most and least like, and the fiance's views. With the couple as the unit of analysis, and the interaction of 10 scores on each hypothesis, a test of intraindividual dynamics was conducted. / Thirty-two never previously married, engaged couples randomly selected from a pool of 105 volunteer couples completed the questionnaire. A test of the predictability of the three concepts was not supported. The statistical evidence is rather strongly opposite of the direction predicted in the hypotheses. / This research provides a challenge to object relations theory of mate selection for more concrete conceptualization of the abstract clinical ideas. It further suggests the theory may not be as applicable to non-clinical populations in explaining mate selection phenomena. / Since the sample is older with a mean age of 22 and the majority not in college, the study avoids two typical biases of previous engagement research. The theoretical and therapeutic implications of the descriptive and empirical findings are discussed. Limitations of the sample and the findings are presented as a caution in generalizing on the data. / Suggestions for future research include the need for more parsimonious and measurable definitions from object relations theory. Further, possibilities of combining the concept of introjected models with standardized projective tests and the emerging use of family genograms are presented. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-06, Section: B, page: 1944. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.

In a continuous series of experiments dealing with the dynamics of the olfactory neuroepithelium, this study was undertaken to explore the survival and turnover rate of olfactory neurons before and after removal of their target. The total number of receptor cells in the mouse olfactory epithelium was estimated and its correlation with age was determined. There is a 64% increase in total number of neurons from one to four months of age followed by a 28% decrease in a period from four to thirteen months of age. / Autoradiographic studies were conducted to describe neuronal renewal and turnover in young adult animals. The results indicate that the percentage of labeled basal cells reached its maximum of 95.5% at 24 hours after the injection of tritiated thymidine. Ten days after injection, labeled basal cells percentage dropped to 47.6% simultaneously with an increase in the percentage of labeled neurons reading 48% of the total labeled cells. By 30 days post injection the percentage of labeled basal cells declined to 8.7%. 74% of the total labeled mature neurons have already disappeared by 55 days postinjection. / Neonatal and young adult mice which underwent unilateral partial bulbectomy were injected with tritiated thymidine 60 days after surgery and then were sacrificed at different time intervals. On the operated side the morphological observations have shown that the olfactory neuroepithelium is thinner than the normal due to a reduction of 11% and 48% in the neuronal population of neonatal and adult bulbectomized mice respectively. Autoradiographic observations indicate that neonatal animals sacrificed 24 hours postinjection had 46.3% more labeled basal cells in the experimental side than in the controls. The labeled basal cells disappeared from the experimental side at a faster rate than those in the control side. / Labeled sensory cell percentage rose from zero percent at 24 hours to 45.8% of the total labeled elements in the operated side at 7 days postinjection while those of the control side comprised only 30.7%. By 15 days after injection, the percentage of labeled neurons in the operated side declined to 36.4% while those of the control still increasing reaching a maximum of 45.8% of the total labeled elements indicating a shorter lifespan of regenerating neurons. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-02, Section: B, page: 0385. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.

In this study we have provided estimates of the economic impact of tourist exports on the Florida economy. To do so we constructed a small econometric model of the State. We derived two types of multipliers from our model. The standard econometric multipliers enabled us to analyze the pattern by which tourist expenditures impacted the State's economy. We also calculated tourist income and employment multipliers which enabled us to measure the share of State income and employment attributed to tourism. / From our study we can conclude that tourism plays a very important role in the Florida economy. We calculated that for the years studied, on average, close to 33.2% of Florida's personal income and 26% of the State's jobs are attributed to tourist exports. We have also established that a substantial portion of our state's beverage, cigarette, and sales taxes are paid by tourists. / Though our multiplier analysis has proven a useful tool in measuring the impact of tourism on the Florida economy, one should be made aware of some of the limitations of this type of analysis. First, the estimated value of multipliers are not invariant to the choice of model, the aggregation and specification of the model, and the data utilized to estimate it. The values of the multipliers estimated here should be used with caution outside of the context of this study and should only be applied to data comparable to that used in estimating this model. / Second, multiplier analysis assumes that supply is perfectly elastic. That is, that supply expands to accommodate tourist demand without diverting resources from other uses. The opportunity cost of providing tourist goods and services is thus evaluated at zero. / A final limitation is that multiplier analysis provides only a partial analysis of economic impact. Only the quantifiable benefits of tourism are measured. Not only is zero opportunity cost assumed, but no other social costs associated with tourism are accounted for. These costs include building and maintaining the infrastructure that supports the tourist industry, lost utility to residents due to congestion, and the cost of environmental damage. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-07, Section: A, page: 2666. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.

An examination was made of Clive Staples Lewis's concept of Christianity as "myth become fact," in light of the "quest for the historical Jesus" movement of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Chapter One included a basic overview of Lewis's literary output, as well as a specific examination of the various theological and literary influences on Lewis's life and thought. / Chapter Two explored Lewis's approach to the concept of "myth" in both literature and religion, illustrating how this concept of myth was a major factor in Lewis's conversion to Christianity. Lewis's views of the complex nature of myth, as well as his insights concerning Christianity's relation to the mythic elements in both pagan mythology and Hebrew thought were analyzed. Also examined was Lewis's distinction between the roles of the mythical in the Old and New Testaments. / Chapter Three considered the results of New Testament Biblical scholarship in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, providing the background for a clearer concept of Lewis's own views of the nature of the historical Jesus and Lewis's awareness and criticism of New Testament research. / Chapter Four inspected in detail Lewis's own reaction to the "quest for the historical Jesus" movement, examining Lewis's attacks on New Testament scholarship's practise of analyzing various fragments of the Gospels to determine their original meaning. Lewis's view of the Gospel of John as a historical rather than merely theological work, and Lewis's views of modern scholarship's attacks on Jesus's claims to Divinity were also analyzed. Finally, Lewis's concepts of the miraculous and its relation to the modern scientific world view were reviewed. / Chapter Five presented Lewis's own views on the nature of the historical Jesus. Also discussed was Lewis's attempt to recreate the mythic elements of the Christian story in a children's fantasy, The Narnia Chronicles. Finally, a comparison of Lewis's portrayal of his fictional Christ-figure, Aslan, and his views of the historical Jesus was made, drawing out what these parallels signify for Lewis's vision of Christianity as "myth become fact". / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-02, Section: A, page: 0553. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.

This study had two major purposes. First, the study was aimed at providing a statistical statement about the overall magnitude of the effects produced by problem-solving instruction. The second purpose was to provide a description of the relationship between study findings and study characteristics making it possible to determine the particular conditions and circumstances in which problem solving promotes effective learning. / Sixty-eight experimental studies were collected and integrated using meta-analysis techniques to reach the aforementioned goals. The data set was based on 343 effect sizes that were Jackknifed by Tukey's technique. This is an inferential technique which takes into account the interdependencies in a large set of estimated ESs in a meta-analysis. / The problem-solving instruction method produced an average effect size of up to .54 standard deviations. In other words, students exposed to this method of instruction exhibited a superiority of .54 standard deviations as compared to the control group students (no problem-solving instruction). The 95 percent confidence interval calculated (.37 to .71) indicates the superiority of problem-solving instruction over no problem-solving instruction in enhancing student achievement in science and mathematics. / To determine the particular conditions and circumstances in which problem-solving instruction enhances student achievement, analysis of variance and regression tests were conducted. On the basis of the studies collected, several variables were found to be statistically related to problem-solving instruction: (a) The source of the study, especially studies published in journals, contributed significantly to the overall effect size of this study. (b) The length of instruction, appeared to be one of the best descriptors of problem-solving instruction. When studies lasted a period of time of 5 to 10 weeks, the effectiveness of the instruction was superior to those studies that lasted 16 to 20 weeks. When instruction lasted more than 20 weeks, the effects were significant but the tendency was to create negative results. (c) The inquiry method was another variable that was related to the effectiveness of problem-solving instruction. (d) Biology and elementary school science also seemed to produce significant results. However, when studies were analyzed by subject matter (science and mathematics), the results did not reach statistical significance. It appears to be that problem-solving instruction is independent of any particular content within science and mathematics. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-01, Section: A, page: 0023. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.

This study attempted (a) to identify factors that affect student aspiration and student achievement in public, Inpres, and private schools in Yogyakarta, Indonesia; (b) and to posit a plausible causal model, through the use of Linear Structural Relationships (LISREL), which is able to handle simultaneously both observed and unobserved variables, and error of measurement. A sample of 731 students were selected purposively from four regular public, two Inpres, and 12 private elementary schools in the Province of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Data were collected from students, parents, teachers, and head masters through tests and questionnaires. Student prior achievement and current (final exam scores) achievement were collected directly from official school records. / The study showed no significant difference in achievement between public and private school students. However, Inpres school students were significantly lower achievers in the four academic areas of Bahasa Indonesia, social science, science and mathematics. / The use of a just identified LISREL model indicated that home learning environment, student learning capability, school quality, and teacher quality positively affected student aspiration and achievement, but student age (maturity) had a negative effect. The two stage least square (TSLS) solution showed that student prior achievement positively affected student aspiration and student current achievement as well. These three latent endogenous variables were influenced by latent exogenous variables, namely home learning environment, student maturity, student learning capability, school quality, and teacher quality. When the same data were analyzed by means of a just identified LISREL method and a multiple regression method, the two methods produced similar results. However, the LISREL method provides a better assessment of the fit of the matrix to be analyzed, the structural equation, and the parameters of the LISREL estimate along with T-values, standard errors and standardized solutions. These allow better judgment of the extent of measurement error in the model, and thus better judgment of the importance of the findings. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-01, Section: A, page: 0025. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.

A co-relational pilot study was performed, using registered nurses, to investigate the effects of stress coping on physical health, mental health, and job performance. Coping was measured both by the personality construct of psychological hardiness and by numbers of coping resources. Stress was measured to include both recent life events as well as accumulated stressors or "daily hassles". / An analysis of variance was performed to determine if differences on the dependent measures was due to changes in the independent measures. A stepwise regression procedure was performed to ascertain the relative impact of the various individual coping resources on both health and job performance. Finally correlations were obtained to provide descriptions of the relationship among various factors. / The results of this pilot study indicate that, for registered nurses, neither numbers of coping resources nor psychological hardiness had any effect on job performance. Having more coping resources was significantly associated with better physical and mental health. However, psychological hardiness was not linked with better mental or physical health. Physical fitness was found to be the most significant as well as important resource in coping with life stress. The results are presented as tentative due to a return rate of only 36.8 percent. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-01, Section: B, page: 0357. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.

Based on a review of the relevant literature on systematic desensitization (S.D.), the parameters for an interactive generic computer program for the S.D. of classically conditioned phobias were specified. / The program uses computer-aided instruction (CAI) to present a learning theory perspective on the etiology of phobias and to teach the basic theory of S.D. and relaxation theory. A self-paced audio tape guides clients through the relaxation training. The computer teaches clients to construct their own personalized phobic hierarchy which is placed in the proper data file by the counselor. In the S.D. mode clients are presented with an item from their phobic hierarchy with instructions to press the space bar when they have a clear image of the scene in their mind. If they experience any anxiety, they are to press it again. These actions control various timing loops in the computer program. When clients signal the computer that they are experiencing anxiety, the computer 'beeps' and flashes the message: "Stop Thinking About That!". A relaxing scene is then presented for a minute. When relaxed the client signals the computer. Clients are progressively given homework as they work their way through the phobic hierarchy. The counselor introduces the client to the computer and is available to answer any questions or to assist if needed. / A pilot trial and a small N, multiple-baseline across subjects study was conducted. The Fear Questionnaire by Marks was used to measure subjective ratings of phobic avoidance and the overall state of phobic symptoms. Goal Attainment Scaling was used to specify pre-intervention behavioral status and to establish behavioral goals. / All clients achieved their goals for treatment as specified by Goal Attainment Scaling. Using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test a significant decrease was found between the first and last rating of phobic avoidance on the Fear Questionnaire (p < .025 directional). / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-11, Section: B, page: 3999. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.