Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, 2000. / A thesis submitted in completion of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Department of Social Ecology, University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, November, 2000. Bibliography : leaves 351-358.

Thesis (D.B.A.)--University of Western Australia, 2006.

Thesis (doctoral)--Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Australia, 2008. / Also available online.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Reformed Theological Seminary, 2006. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-155).

This dissertation investigated the effects of social facilitation theory, specifically mere presence of a peer, on automatic and effortful processing in boys (ages 7 to 12 years) diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The sample (N=61) was comprised of ADHD and Normals who were matched by chronological age (+ /- 9 months) and IQ (1 standard deviation). Forty-eight percent of the sample was Hispanic. Each pair was randomly assigned to one of two conditions to test social facilitation effects. The conditions were Alone (subject worked alone in room) and Presence (subject worked in the presence of confederate). All subjects performed seven information processing tasks which varied in attentional demands from automatic, to acquired automatic, to effortfu1. Automatic processing was measured by two tasks, initial vigilance and frequency monitoring of a word list; acquired automatic was measured by a visual discrimination activity presented twice; and effortful processing was measured by three tasks, free recall of words and two listening comprehension activities. Results support the concept that ADHD is a developmental disorder involving the inability to invest, organize and maintain attention and modulate impulsive responding. Diagnostic effects were applicable across both ethnic (Anglo and Hispanic) groups and emphasizes the significance of the disorder across cultures. There were several significant effects for diagnosis with ADHD subjects performing significantly worse on the frequency monitoring task, on the second administration of the visual discrimination task, and on one effortfu1 task, Free Recall of Related Words. No main effect for social facilitation was found, disconfirming Zajonc's mere presence hypothesis, for both ADHD and Normal children, Cottrell's learning theory model which states that more direct involvement of the peer or a threat of evaluation is needed to elicit social facilitation effects is discussed. Additional analysis indicated that the ADHD subjects were significantly more likely to engage in extraneous and non-task related verbal and motor activity on nine out of twelve behavioral indices. Results are discussed in terms of the effects of the experimental context on the performance of ADHD subjects, observed deficits in sustained attention, and other motivational factors. Educational implications, emphasizing group monitoring effects and instructional design are discussed.

This study investigates the relationship between peer group facilitation and the changes in self-concept, interpersonal relations and school interest of secondary students in an alternative school. To carry out the study, a peer group facilitation program was incorporated into the curriculum of an alternative high school.

Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van hierdie ondersoek is om die verskil in effek tussen direktiewe en nie-direktiewe insette van die fasiliteerder, tydens sensitiwiteitopleiding, te bepaal deur sommige kliente voor te berei op die ervaring deur middel van 'n uitdeelstuk en ander kliente nie voor te berei nie. Die sensitiwiteitgroepe word deurgaans op ongestruktureerde wyse hanteer en met behulp van 'n kwantitatiewe meting en verwerking met t-toetse asook 'n kwalitatiewe meting word hipoteses getoets. Die instrumente wat gebruik word is die POI, Rotter, Firo-B en 'n oopvraag-tegniek. Die resultate dui daarop dat persone wat voorberei word op die ervaring 'n groter interne lokus van kontrole openbaar. / The aim of this study is to determine the difference in effect between directive and non-directive inputs by the facilitator during sensitivity training, by preparing some clients for the experience with the aid of a handout while other clients go through the same experience unprepared. The sensitivity groups are run on an unstructured basis and effects are measured with a quantatitive measurement and calculated with t-tests as well as qualitative. measurement, thereby testing the hypotheses. The instruments that are used are the POI, Rotter, Firo-B and an open question technique. The results seem to indicate that people who are prepared for the experience show a higher internal locus of control. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Bedryfsielkunde)

Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van hierdie ondersoek is om die verskil in effek tussen direktiewe en nie-direktiewe insette van die fasiliteerder, tydens sensitiwiteitopleiding, te bepaal deur sommige kliente voor te berei op die ervaring deur middel van 'n uitdeelstuk en ander kliente nie voor te berei nie. Die sensitiwiteitgroepe word deurgaans op ongestruktureerde wyse hanteer en met behulp van 'n kwantitatiewe meting en verwerking met t-toetse asook 'n kwalitatiewe meting word hipoteses getoets. Die instrumente wat gebruik word is die POI, Rotter, Firo-B en 'n oopvraag-tegniek. Die resultate dui daarop dat persone wat voorberei word op die ervaring 'n groter interne lokus van kontrole openbaar. / The aim of this study is to determine the difference in effect between directive and non-directive inputs by the facilitator during sensitivity training, by preparing some clients for the experience with the aid of a handout while other clients go through the same experience unprepared. The sensitivity groups are run on an unstructured basis and effects are measured with a quantatitive measurement and calculated with t-tests as well as qualitative. measurement, thereby testing the hypotheses. The instruments that are used are the POI, Rotter, Firo-B and an open question technique. The results seem to indicate that people who are prepared for the experience show a higher internal locus of control. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Bedryfsielkunde)

When people do an easy task, and another person is nearby, they tend to do that task better than when they are alone. Conversely, when people do a hard task, and another person is nearby, they tend to do that task less well than when they are alone. This phenomenon is referred to in the social psychology literature as "social facilitation" (the name derives from the "good" side of the effect). Different theories have been proposed to explain this effect. The present study investigated whether people respond to a virtual human the same way they do to a real human. Participants were given different tasks to do that varied in difficulty. The tasks involved anagrams, mazes, modular arithmetic, and the Tower of Hanoi. They did the tasks either alone, in the company of another person, or in the company of a virtual human on a computer screen. As with a human, virtual humans produced the social facilitation effect: for easy tasks, performance in the virtual human condition was better than in the alone condition, and for difficult tasks, performance in the virtual human condition was worse than in the alone condition. Implications for the design of instructional systems as well as other systems involving human-computer interactions are discussed.