Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1971. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1967. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1964. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University.

A photographic test for attitude measurement, abbreviated PHOTAM, has been developed and applied in a case study of attitudes to agricultural change in peasant groups currently undergoing transformation from traditional to modern. The aim of this research was to develop a structured cultural method for combining the holistic intuitive insight of anthropological and cultural geographical inquiry with the rigour of objective behavioural assessment techniques. This method involves the use of a test based on the projective principle, which bridges the gap between cultural and behavioural approaches by establishing a common data source for subjective and objective interpretations set in the overall cultural and regional context. PHOTAM involves 10 steps: (1) preliminary cultural geographic reconnaissance to provide an holistic empathetic overview of the study area and peasant life-way; (2) selection of attitude categories critical for understanding the given problem; (3) assembly of a series of photographs depicting various aspects of the attitudes selected and for use in testing internal consistency of responses; (4) selection of sample subjects in representative groups; (5) standardized administration of the test photographic set to each subject; (6) translation of tape recorded responses into English and transcription of selected responses in the original language; (7) coding of protocols using a binary decision tree involving an attitude scale and other desired attitude dimensions such as activeness, change - orientation and modernity; (8) subjective and objective interpretation of attitude profiles; (9) testing for reliability and conceptual validity of postulated attitude structure; (10) (optional) cross-cultural testing and comparison of obtained attitude pro files. A sample of 68 subjects in five peasant groups possessing experience with modern irrigation and mechanized agricultural projects ranging from none up to two years, was selected from the Mayan Camino Real and Los Chenes regions of northern Campeche, Mexico, where a government sponsored, internationally financed small irrigation programme has recently been initiated. A set of 21 photographs was employed representing easily recognizable culturally appropriate situations within the realm of experience of the typical Mexican oam-pesino. The subjects were requested to invent a story about each photograph in turn which fully describe d its content and context. The resulting protocols yielded data concerning 17 attitudes which were processed in 60 coding categories; more than 40,000 binary measurements (seven for each attitude identified) were taken on the responses. Subjective evaluation of the protocols revealed that most of the typical characteristics of peasantry encountered in the academic literature do not apply to the study groups in Campeche, and suggests that these general conceptions of the peasant sub-culture are outdated, at least as far as modernizing peasants are concerned. Thus, it seems probable that attitudinal inconsistencies and discontinuities are more prevalent amongst contemporary peasant societies than the traditional, stable, clearly-defined patterns. If these out-moded stereotypes are not discarded, costly development programming errors may result. Objective evaluation indicated that the initial attitudes selected for examination had acceptable conceptual validity, high interrater reliability (with two judges) and reasonable internal consistency. It is also clear that the PHOTAM protocols are amenable to objective coding into a-priori attitude categories which distinguish effectively within and between groups. Attitudinal differences were most pronounced between the groups of peasants having the longest development project membership compared with the inexperienced groups. The results indicate that PHOTAM is a reliable diagnostic measurement device, capable of penetrating beyond superficial opinions into the realm of deeply-felt attitudes. Thus, PHOTAM should prove useful as a tool for cultural geographic research, and in development planning applications where attitudes are often the critical factor in determining project outcomes. The richness of the response stories confirms the advantages of projective instruments especially involving the use of photographs, for breaking down barriers to deep communication with illiterate peoples. In addition, there is evidently considerable potential for cross-cultural investigation of peasant attitudes. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

This study consists partly of a repetition of certain projects reported in Milton Rokeach’s "The Open and Closed Mind" (1960) and partly of an attempt to enlarge upon his body of research. Problems. First: Will Rokeach's findings regarding differential behavior of subjects with extremely high and extremely low scores on his dogmatism scale in subsequent perceptual tasks be supported in a repetition of his experiments? Second: Can dogmatism, as measured by Rokeach's "D"- scale, be regarded as representing a continuum? Rokeach typically compared the behavior of groups of subjects with extremely high and low D-scores on certain subsequent tasks; when he also employed a third segment, consisting of individuals with intermediate D-scores in a questionnaire task, this latter segment behaved quite erratically. At times it acted like the dogmatic "extreme", at other times like the non-dogmatic "extreme" and several, times it went beyond the dogmatic extreme in its behavior. Rokeach offered two alternative explanations for the anomalous behavior of the Middle segment: chance effects inherent in the composition of this group and the possibility that the "D"-scale may not differentiate successfully between high- and middle-dogmatic subjects. He did not entertain a third possibility: that dogmatism may not represent a continuum. In other words, subjects with extremely high and low D-scores may show many characteristic differences in their behavior but this does not justify making any assumption as to the probable behavior of subjects with other than extreme D-scores. Such discontinuity is always possible when research has been restricted to behavioral aspects of only extreme segments of a total group. It was felt that a repetition of the relevant experiment may help to decide which of the three alternative explanations should be accepted. Third: This study was also designed to enlarge on Rokeach's body of findings on dogmatism. We expected that dogmatic subjects would find it harder than non-dogmatic subjects to accept suggested concepts on the Rorschach ink blots, and this possibility was to be investigated. To avoid the above mentioned methodological difficulties involved in a two extreme group design, a three-segment design was adopted throughout this study. Procedure. Rokeach's "D"-scale, Form E, and a questionnaire on attitudes towards parents and others who influenced subjects' development, were administered to students in six classes of the University of British Columbia summer session. Of the total male group of 187 students, 17 with extremely high, 17 with extremely low and 17 with middle D-scores were selected for individual testing. The tests included the author's "Suggested Concept Rorschach Test", and three perceptual tasks previously used by Rokeach; two types of Kohs block tasks and the Jackson (1956) adaptation of the Witkin Embedded Figure Test. Results and Conclusions. 1) No relationship was demonstrated between subjects' D-scores and their willingness to accept suggested Rorschach concepts. 2) Rokeach's findings regarding differential behavior of extremely high and low dogmatic subjects on certain Kohs block tasks were supported, generally at reduced levels of statistical confidence. 3) Contrary to Rokeach's findings, the Witkin test differentiated significantly between the low D segment on the one hand and the middle and high D segments on the other. 4) Contrary to Rokeach's findings, no difference was demonstrated between any of our segments in regard to feelings expressed towards parents or breadth of influence reported, on the questionnaire. 5) The evidence of the present study supports the belief that dogmatism does not represent a continuum. Rather, it has a two-polar structure. Subjects with low D-scores define one pole, while persons with middle and high D-scores define the other pole. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

published_or_final_version / Philosophy / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy