The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of relaxation imagery training and competition upon the performance of a novel motor task (dart throwing) in both high and low sensation seekers. Eighty male college students were administered the Zuckerman Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS), and were randomly assigned to one of eight groups on the basis of their SSS scores. The 40 subjects who scored over 60% on the SSS were randomly assigned (N = 10) to either of three treatment groups, or one control group. Those subjects scoring under 40% on the SSS were randomly assigned (N = 10) to either of three treatment groups or one control group. Relaxation imagery training (audio-cassette) was administered to one treatment group of high sensation seekers who performed the motor task in a competitive situation; a second group of high sensation seekers received only relaxation imagery training; a third group of high sensation seekers received no relaxation imagery training, but performed in a competitive situation; the fourth high sensation seeking group received no treatment (control group). The four groups of low sensation seekers were assigned to the same (above) treatments. The 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 (sensation seeking level x relaxation imagery/no relaxation imagery x competition/no competition x pre-/post-performance score) ANOVA revealed that high sensation seekers scored significantly lower (less error) on the dart throwing task, regardless of treatment. Several data trends were noticed, although they were not statistically significant. The most noteworthy was that subjects performing in the competitive environment scored lower (error) on the pre- to post-test comparison than those subjects performing in the noncompetitive environment, regardless of level of sensation seeking. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-07, Section: A, page: 2082. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.

In order to determine whether memory search for movements was based on the familiarity (Atkinson & Juola, 1973, 1974) of the movements, the search processes involved in a short-term motor memory paradigm were investigated. Additionally, tests were made to determine whether subjects arranged the randomly presented memory set in sequential order to facilitate scanning. Tests for increases in reaction time (RT) with set size were also conducted. Subjects were required to remember a series of 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 movements in a memory set as administered with a linear-positioning task. Upon completion of a memory set, subjects were presented a comparison movement. It was either the same length as one of the memory set movements ("yes" response) or a different length ("no" response). Twelve subjects completed three consecutive days of testing. On Day 1, RT and movement lengths were practiced. Memory sets were also practiced on Day 1. On Day 2, subjects were required to search a memory set of movements and respond "yes" or "no" by lifting the appropriate finger. This response terminated a RT search clock. Subjects also rated (1 to 5 scale) how sure they were their response was correct. The same procedures were followed on Day 3. The serial-position analyses of variance indicated a strong recency effect and slight primacy effect for the error rates and confidence ratings of set sizes 4 and 5. The error rates showed the same effect for set sizes 2 and 3. The RT data were not significant yet they paralled the other measures. Additionally, subjects did not seem to sequentially organize the memory set according to movement length. Finally, there was a set size main effect for all three dependent measures. From these data it was concluded that the Atkinson and Juola (1973, 1974) framework is a more compatible model to describe motor information than Sternberg's (1969a, 1969b, 1975) model. Moreover, the larger sets required more time to scan than the smaller sets. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-11, Section: A, page: 3319. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.

Reduced gravity and two-layer numerical models have been used to study the circulation in the westernmost basin of the Mediterranean Sea, the Alboran Sea. Circulation is forced by flow through a 20 km wide port in the western boundary representing the Strait of Gibraltar. / The reduced gravity model domain is a rectangle measuring 600 km x 160 km with 10km x 5 km grid resolution. When forced by an eastward or northeastward inflow, the model solutions evolve to a steady state which exhibits a meandering current. The first meander of the current forms the northern boundary of an anticyclonic gyre. Horizontal dimensions of the gyre are strongly dependent up on the inflow angle, vorticity associated with the incoming current, magnitude of the incoming transport and the north-south extent of the basin. The meandering current is considered a standing Rossby wave with a highly distorted vorticity trajectory due to the interaction of the current with the northern and southern boundaries. When velocity (transport) is increased, the wavelength increases approximately as SQRT.(v). As a result the anticyclonic gyre shifts east as velocity increases and west as velocity decreases. These solutions show that bottom topography, winds and coastline features are not necessary mechanisms for the formation of the gyre. / Two-layer model solutions were obtained using realistic topography, geometry and a westward moving lower layer. The addition of the lower layer flow and topography slightly distorted the circulation in the upper layer, particularly in the southern half of the basin. With topography included, the lower layer flow followed a path similar to that observed for the Mediterranean Deep Water. When topography was removed, the flow followed the path taken by the Levantine Intermediate Water. / Experiments using climatological wind to force the model show that a strong wind driven circulation from the Balearic Sea causes cyclonic circulation to form in the location of the Alboran gyre. This cyclonic circulation, however, is very weak and when combined with the Atlantic water inflow serves only to slightly weaken the anticyclonic gyre. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-02, Section: B, page: 0458. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.

Three related problems concerning the response of the continental shelf waters to large-scale, low-frequency (synoptic scale) wind forcing are addressed. Briefly the results are as follows. (i) An understanding is gained to the dynamics of the poorly studied frictional region which lies inshore of the region which has been shown (e.g., Gill and Schumann, 1974 and Clarke and Van Gorder, 1984) to be well described by long wave dynamics. Simple accurate solutions for the pressure and alongshore velocity fields are developed and their domains of applicability are given. (ii) Through use of the knowledge gained in (i), a link is established from the frictional nearshore regions to the wave dynamics region by providing a proper boundary condition for models which strictly consider the latter. Also, a formula is given to predict coastal pressure (generally the best data set) given the boundary pressure prediction from a wave dynamics model. (iii) The above results, together with the model of Clarke and Van Gorder (1984), are applied to a data set on the West Florida Shelf. It is shown that the response there is accurately modeled. Further, the simplicity of the model allows the West Florida Shelf response to be understood as a sum of a forced wave moving with the wind field, a free wave generated at the Florida Keys and a smaller, but significant, free wave flux from the east coast of Florida. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-01, Section: B, page: 0101. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the effects of school classification, levels of responsibility (head coach, assistant coach), and coaches of different sports on the perceived stress of male coaches within the public secondary schools of Alabama. / Data were obtained from 628 subjects who were employed as a head or assistant high school varsity coach in football or basketball during the 1985-86 school year in Alabama. / The instrument used in the study had four sections they were: A Personal Data Sheet; Job Related Strain; Psychosomatic Stress; and Job Involvement Stress scale. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine whether a relationship exists between the perception of stress and aspects of coaching. The .05 alpha level was used as the criterion for the rejection of the hypotheses. / The following conclusions are made: (a) Level of responsibility of coaches has a significant affect on perceived stress; (b) The size of organization in which a coach works does not affect level of perceived stress; and (c) The sport in which one works has no affect on perceived stress. / The following recommendations are made: (a) Studies similar to the research reported here should be conducted using each section of the stress instrument to analyze the independent variables; (b) Similar studies using different geographical areas to determine if demographic and cultural differences have an effect on perceived stress of coaches should be conducted; and (c) Similar studies should be conducted on a variety of sports, both men and women. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-05, Section: A, page: 1648. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.

The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine the combined and separate effects of goal-setting and of an effort attribution orientation on intrinsic motivation and motor performance. The second purpose was to determine if these motivational treatments differentially affected subjects who had received failure-oriented, success-oriented, or no feedback of performance. The final purpose was to determine if the motivational treatments were equally affective for males and females at each level of feedback. Sixth grade male (N = 84) and female (N = 75) subjects were selected from all the sixth grade students attending the Howard Middle School, Monticello, Florida. They were stratified by sex and randomly placed in one of 24 groups: 2 levels of sex x 3 levels of feedback (failure-oriented, success-oriented, and none) x 4 levels of motivation (goal-setting and an effort attribution orientation, goal-setting, an effort attribution orientation, or control). All subjects were tested on a stabilometer task to determine learning and persistence) as a function of each condition. A 2 x 3 x 4 (sex x feedback x motivation) ANOVA revealed that females persisted significantly longer at the task than did males. With respect to motor performance, a 3 x 2 x 4 x 10 (feedback x sex x motivation x trials) ANOVA indicated that learning occurred across trials. A trend (p = .09) was also obtained for the motivation main effect. Treatment effectiveness occurred in the following descending order: effort attribution orientation, goal-setting, goal-setting and effort attribution orientation, and control. / Locus of causality, data was analyzed with a 3 x 2 x 4 x 2 (feedback x sex x motivation x test) ANOVA. A trend (p = .09) was obtained for the test x motivation interaction. Subjects in the three motivation groups perceived their causal ascriptions to be more internal on the posttest than on the pretest. The control group perceived its causal attributions to be more external on the posttest than on the pretest. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-05, Section: A, page: 1650. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.

The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine the relationship between urban secondary school physical education teachers' job satisfaction and job stress. In addition, differences in the levels of teacher job satisfaction and teacher job stress according to sex, age, years teaching, and school size were studied. / Data used were obtained from 229 secondary school physical education teachers teaching in 85 urban schools in North Florida and South Georgia. / Three instruments were used. They were a Personal Data Sheet, the Job Satisfaction Scale, and the Job-Related Stress Scale. The Pearson-Product Moment Correlation was used to test the first hypothesis and a one-way Analysis of Variance was used to test hypotheses 2 through 9. The .05 alpha level was used as the criterion for the rejection of the hypotheses. / The following conclusions are made: (a) There is a negative relationship between urban secondary school physical education teacher's job satisfaction and job stress; (b) Secondary school size above 1500 has an adverse affect on job satisfaction and job stress of secondary school physical education teachers; and (c) Male secondary school physical education teachers tend to have a higher level of job stress than do female secondary school physical education teachers. / The following recommendations are made: (a) Similar studies should be conducted using teachers in other subject areas to determine if there are differences in the job satisfaction and job stress of different subject matter teachers; and (b) Studies using different geographical areas to determine if demographic and cultural differences affect teacher job satisfaction and teacher job stress. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-01, Section: A, page: 0120. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.

The separation between the surface and subsurface fronts of the Gulf Stream can change due to (a) changes in the curvature of the subsurface front as the Stream meanders, (b) wind-driven Ekman advection of the surface front, and (c) ageostrophic instabilities of the surface front. Combining observational field experiments, and theoretical and numerical modeling efforts, we showed that wind-driven Ekman advection of the Stream's surface front is not responsible for most of the observed variability in the Stream's surface-subsurface frontal separation. Our field experiments verified earlier ones when they demonstrated that part of the variability in the Stream's surface-subsurface separation is due to changes in the path of the Stream's surface front. To explain the observations an analytical expression was obtained which relates changes in separation to path curvature and shows that the strength of the curvature effect is proportional to the frontal separation at path inflection points. It was concluded that the majority in the variability in the frontal separation is due to instabilities of the surface front. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-07, Section: B, page: 2817. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of two 10-week training programs on self-concept and student attitude toward physical activity of Jordanian college physical education majors. Subjects were 72 male and female physical education majors, aged 18 to 21 years old, who participated in a course entitled "Physical Fitness" offered during the spring semester (1986). / The subjects were randomly assigned to either a weight training program group or an aerobic training group. The total number in both groups was equal (n = 36) and contained an equal number of male and female subjects. Each group participated twice a week for 50 minutes in either a weight training group or an aerobic training group for a period of 10 weeks. / The two groups were pre- and post-tested on the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (TSCS), the AAHPERD Youth Fitness Test, and the Kenyon Attitude Toward Physical Activity Inventory. / For the purpose of this study, the following hypotheses were tested with alpha set at .05 level for hypotheses 1 and 2 and .003 for hypotheses 3 and 4. (1) There will be no difference in total positive self-concept scores from pre-test to post-test within either group. (2) There will be no difference in the total attitude toward physical activity scores from pre-test to post-test within either group of subjects. (3) There will be no correlation between the physical fitness gain scores and the total positive self-concept gain score within either group. (4) There will be no correlation between the physical fitness gain scores and the total attitude toward physical activity gain score within either group of subjects. / The student t test for two related samples was used to test hypotheses 1 and 2. The Spearman Correlation Coefficients were used to test hypotheses 3 and 4. The results for hypotheses 1 and 2 showed that scores for the subjects within both groups were significantly increased from pre- to post-test in their total self-concept and total attitude toward physical activity. The results for hypotheses 3 and 4 showed that there were no correlations between physical fitness gain scores and total positive self-concept gain score, and total attitude toward physical activity gain score within either group. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.) / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-10, Section: A, page: 3693. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a six-week exercise and rope jump program on AAHPERD Health Related Physical Fitness Test scores of high school females. Sixty-two students, aged 15 to 16 years, enrolled in the 10th grade physical education classes in the National Orthodox School in Amman, Jordan, during the spring semester of 1986, were subjects. / Pre- and post-tests (administered according to directions outlined in the AAHPERD Test Manual) were given to two groups. One group, composed of 31 students, participated in a designed exercise and rope jump program. The program consisted of warm-up, conditioning exercise, rope jump, and cool-down periods. The other group of 31 students participated in one or more sport activities; basketball, volleyball, team handball, and ping pong. / All subjects participated in 18 sessions, three times each week for 30 minutes, in a six-week period. Pre- and post-test scores were recorded for the one-mile jog/walk, body composition, sit-ups, and flexibility tests. / The following hypotheses were tested by the Pairs T-test, the independent samples T-test, and gain scores: (1) There will be no difference between the mean pre-test and post-test AAHPERD Health Related Physical Fitness components' scores of the subjects participating three times per week for a six-week period in an exercise and rope jump program. (2) There will be no difference between the mean pre-test and post-test AAHPERD Health Related Physical Fitness components' scores of the subjects participating three times per week for a six-week period in a regular physical education class. (3) There will be no difference between the mean post-test AAHPERD Health Related Physical Fitness components' scores of the subjects in the test program and subjects participating in a regular physical education class. / Level of significance was set at the 0.05 level. The analysis of the data led to reject the first and third hypotheses and to failure to reject the second hypothesis. / Subjects who participated in the exercise and rope jump program scored significantly better in all four components than subjects who participated in the regular physical education classes. Subjects who participated in the regular physical education class did not score significantly higher in any of the four components. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.) / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 47-10, Section: A, page: 3694. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1986.