The present research assessed the influence of golfers’ mindsets on their performance when accounting for their skill level. Better performance of three chip shots was expected from golfers with a strategic mental approach to golf performance, including motivation, confidence, and concentration. Golfers with these mindset components were also expected to be more skilled, lower handicap golfers. Prior to a performance situation, participants were asked to give a description that was expected to challenge their performance mindset. In the experimental conditions, participants were asked to describe either their best shot or their worst shot from a past round. In the control condition, they were asked to provide a neutral description. Participants’ subsequent performance of three golf chip shots was assessed. Contrary to the hypothesis, the results found that the pre-performance mindset manipulation did not significantly affect the performance of high or low CC golfers. However, significant correlations were found between two of the hypothesized performance mindset components, confidence and concentration, and golf performance, suggesting that successful golf performance may be related to a particular mindset.

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether level of acculturation among Hispanic adolescent males (n = 174) influenced treatment outcome in a substance abuse program, specifically on the Brief Situational Confidence Questionnaire (BSCQ) which measures relapse confidence. It was hypothesized that lower levels of acculturation were likely to be predictive of positive change, whereas higher levels of acculturation were likely to be predictive of no change or negative change. It was found that adolescents changed over time in BSCQ scores regardless of which acculturation variable was measured. Contrary to expectations, for those adolescents placed in family treatment, place of birth was not significantly associated with treatment response. However, both, U.S. and non-U.S. born adolescents demonstrated a change over time when receiving family treatment, suggesting that the family substance abuse treatment utilized in this intervention effected change over time.

The individual effects that echoic, mand, and sign language training procedures have on the acquisition of verbal behavior have been widely demonstrated, but more efficient strategies are still needed. This study combined all three treatment strategies into one treatment intervention in order to investigate the joint effects they may have on verbal behavior. Six participants took part in the study. Intervention totaled 1 hour/day for 5 days/week until mastery criterion for motor echoic behavior was achieved. Although motor echoic behavior were solely targeted for acquisition, significant increases in spontaneous motor mands were noted in all treatment participants. Additionally, 4 treatment participants also demonstrated significant gains in vocal echoics and spontaneous vocal mands. No significant increases were noted for the control participant. Results suggest that the aforementioned procedure may provide more efficient results as a first-step to teaching a functional repertoire of verbal behavior to developmentally delayed children.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the origins of anxiety sensitivity (AS) by assessing youths' learning experiences in relation to their AS symptoms and anxiety symptoms. Participants were 33 youths between 7 to 13 years old (M = 9.39 years, SD = 2.01). Youths were assessed using a structured interview and self-report measures. Chi-square analyses revealed no statistically significant differences in the proportions of boys vs. girls, Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic, and married vs. non-married. Pearson correlation analyses revealed that youths' AS learning experiences were significantly related to youths' AS and to youths' anxiety symptoms scores. Partial correlations between youths' learning experiences associated with AS symptoms in relation to AS scores controlling for anxiety symptoms effects were statistically significant. Findings were consistent with theory and suggest that learning mechanisms may be involved in AS acquisition and maintenance. The findings' implications are discussed regarding possible learning experiences' role in the development of AS.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the validity of personality for predicting training and job performance in a sample of firefighters, and to determine if motivation could act as a moderator in the personality-performance relationship. Personality and motivation inventories were administered to 109 firefighter candidates from three academy classes. At the termination of each academy, all candidates were assessed on their overall performance. Correlation coefficients were used to measure the relationship between personality inventory scales, motivation inventory scales, and the overall training performance measures. A multiple regression procedure was used to investigate the relationship between personality, motivation, and performance to determine if motivation had a moderation effect on performance. None of the correlations were statistically significant at the 0.05 level. The two highest were sociability (r = 0.13, p = .189) and school success (r = 0.11, p .262). With regard to the multiple regression, for the sample of low thrill-seeker subjects, the r- for the motivation and thrill-seeking variables was .0578 (F = .7665). Adding the combined variable (thrill-seeking x motivation) into the equation provided a Ar2 of .0217 (AF = .5652). For the sample of high thrill-seeker subjects, the r2 for the motivation and thrill-seeking variables was .0513 (F = 1.6226). Adding the product variable (thrill-seeking x motivation) into the equation provided a Ar2 of .0004 (AF = .0215). Although motivation seemed to moderate personality when predicting training performance to a greater extent in the low thrill-seeker sample than it did in the high thrill-seeker sample, the results were not significant. Since the personality and motivation inventories had been previously shown to be related to performance, a possible explanation for the current results is that the measure used in the study was a poor indicator of performance. Future studies should use performance measures specifically designed to measure the objectives of the academy, which should stem from the essential functions of the job as determined by a job analysis.

For years, researchers and human resources specialists have been searching for predictors of performance as well as for relevant performance dimensions (Barrick & Mount, 1991; Borman & Motowidlo, 1993; Campbell, 1990; Viswesvaran et al., 1996). In 1993, Borman and Motowidlo provided a framework by which traditional predictors such as cognitive ability and the Big Five personality factors predicted two different facets of performance: 1) task performance and 2) contextual performance. A meta-analysis was conducted to assess the validity of this model as well as that of other modified models. The relationships between predictors such as cognitive ability and personality variables and the two outcome variables were assessed. It was determined that even though the two facets of performance may be conceptually different, empirically they overlapped substantially (p= .75). Finally, results show that there is some evidence for cognitive ability as a predictor of both task and contextual performance and conscientiousness as a predictor of both task and contextual performance. The possible mediation of predictor-- criterion relationships was also assessed. The relationship between cognitive ability and contextual performance vanished when task performance was controlled.

The problems of personnel placement and vocational choice at some time concern nearly everyone, as the employer or as the employee. Many people drift into their occupations, others shift from one wrong choice to another, while a large number are defeated by the struggle for success in an occupation for which they are not fitted. The mere placement of a worker on a job does not guarantee job success or interest in that job. In many cases no consideration is made of interests, general abilities, or special aptitudes, and even with a perfect diagnosis of these factors vocational choice still presents a problem.

<p>Four experiments were undertaken to identify properties of differential reinforcement relevant to response differentiation. Differential reinforcement was given for the length of "runs" of pigeons' key pecks, the length of a run being defined as the number of responses on a key preceding a spatially different terminal response.</p> <p>In Experiment I, a criterion run-length was assigned each subject and each subject was reinforced only following emission of a run-length which exceeded its criterion. Criterion run-lengths of 5, 10 and 20 responses were assigned to different groups. Mean run-lengths (N) were related to criteria (n) by a power function:N = 2.63 n^0.69. The fractional exponent of this function implies that the proportion of responses exceeding criterion was lower for higher criterion values. Because reinforced response values were confined to an extreme of the dis tribution, a lower proportion of reinforced response values indicated a greater difference between the distribution of values of the response emitted by a subject and the distribution of values reinforced. Since higher criterion values produced higher asymptotic mean run-lengths, the differential between emitted and reinforced run-lengths was also related to asymptotic run-length.</p> <p>A similar relationship between mean run-length and the proportion of responses exceeding a criterion was obtained in Experiments II and III. These experiments used a differential reinforcement paradigm in which thecriterion was continuously adjusted for each subject so that a constant proportion of its distribution of run-lengths exceeded its criterion. In Experiment II, the proportion of the distribution exceeding the criterion was set at 15%, 30% or 45%, for different groups. However, only a random half of the run-lengths exceeding the criterion for animals in the 30% group, and one-third of those for the 45% group were actually reinforced, so that the overall probability of reinforcement was constant at 0.15 for all groups. Increases in the mean length of runs were obtained for all groups, with the 15% group exhibiting a more rapid change and a higher asymptotic mean run-length than the 30% group, which in turn exceeded the 45% group.</p> <p>In Experiment III, pigeons were reinforced only for run-lengths in the most extreme 30% of their run-length distributions. One group received reinforcement for a random half of these run-lengths, while others received reinforcement for all of the run-lengths in this range. The relative extremeness of run-lengths selected for reinforcement was therefore constant (30%) 'vhile the overall probability of reinforcement was either 0.30 or 0.15. Increases in mean run-length were obtained, but no differences in the rate of change or asymptotic mean run-length were found between groups.</p> <p>The results of Experiments II and III suggest that the relative extremeness of run-lengths selected for reinforcement, that is the differential between emitted and reinforced run-lengths, determines the rate and extent of changes in values of a response. The relationship between the relative extremeness of reinforced response values and the rate and extent of changes in emitted response values was further</p> <p>demonstrated in Experiment IV. Reinforcement was provided for a fixed area of the distribution of run-lengths closest to a specified target value. For one group, the area of the distribution reinforced was 15%, while another group was reinforced for a random half of run-lengths in the closest 30% to the target. Reinforcement probability was thus held constant at 0.15. Mean run-lengths changed in the direction of the target at a rate dependent on the difference between the mean run-length and the target run-length. An asymptote was reached (rate of change = 0) when mean run-length approached the target value (differential = 0). The relationship between asymptotic mean run-length and target run-length was nearly linear for both 15% and 30% groups.</p> <p>The results of this series of experiments were discussed in terms of a hypotnetical differentiation process emphasizing the differential between the central tendencies of the distributions of emitted and reinforced response values, expressed in percentage units. When a differential exists, a change in the distribution of response values occurs in a direction which tends to reduce the differential, and at a rate proportional to the magnitude of the differential. When no differential exists, no change occurs. Since change in many dynamic response properties is resisted in a way which suggests an opponent process (e.g.iLaw of Least Effort), the asymptote reached after differential reinforcement represents an equilibrium between differential reinforcement and its opponent process. The increased effectiveness of differential reinforcement when relatively more extreme response values are reinforced would thus not only result in greater rates of change, but would also overcome the resistance of the opponent process to a greater extent,shifting the equilibrium point to a higher value.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Research findings on marriage as a heterosexual institution were reviewed and research was carried out to determine if certain of them were applicable to lesbian “marriage” as well. Marriage was defined as a relationship in which two people have lived together with strong emotional and sexual involvement for a year or more. Subjects were volunteers from among women age 22 or older, who were childless, and who were involved in the women's movement, as well as their friends, lovers and husbands. There were 14 lesbian couples, 14 lesbians who has never been married and 6 lesbians who had been married but weren’t currently and who were involved in a sexual relationship at the time of the study. Subjects were asked to fill out various forms, including (not all subjects completed all the forms) a questionnaire of background information; Interpersonal Checklists on actual-self, ideal-self, lover or spouse, how they think their spouse (or lover) sees them, how they think their spouse (or lover) sees herself (himself); a Security-Insecurity Inventory; a Marital-Roles Inventory; and a Socioemotional Valuation Index. Results indicated that for this population of lesbians and heterosexuals: Homogeneous trait matching occurs among lesbians so that a mate is chosen who is perceived as resembling the self (p≤.005). The evidence did not support the theory of ideal-self-fulfillment, proposed by Karp, Jackson and Lester, for lesbians; Married lesbians do not score higher in insecurity on a Security-Insecurity test than never-married lesbians, the average score for this sample being almost exactly the same (single lesbians scoring higher). There is insufficient evidence to conclude that heterosexually married women score higher in insecurity than married lesbians though results were in the expected direction (p≤.15); Marital satisfaction is higher among lesbians than among women involved in a heterosexual marriage (p≤. 05); There is insufficient evidence to conclude that spouses in lesbian marriage make more nearly equal amounts of adjustment than do spouses in heterosexual marriage, though results were in the expected direction (p≤. 1). Although none of the hypotheses concerning interpersonal perception and marital satisfaction were supported by the evidence it was tentatively concluded from looking at the pattern of the results that lesbian marriages are not split into roles so that one partner is assigned the instrumental, task-oriented roles and the other the expressive, integrative roles.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-72).