La these a pour but de preciser la strategie de resolution d'un probleme lie a l'identite chez des adolescents de la diffusion, de la forclusion, du moratoire et de l'identite realisee. Elle tente de decrire cette strategie a partir de l'analyse de prolocoles verbaux recueillis lors de la resolution d'un probleme de classement contenant des themes identitaires. Un nombre de 80 sujets, des adolescents de 11$\rm\sp{e}$ a la 13$\rm\sp{e}$ annee du secondaire, ont participe a l'etude. Chaque sujet a rempli un questionnaire portant sur son identite, la Version revue et corrigee de la mesure objective etendue de l'etat d'identite de l'Ego. Les sujets ont de plus resolu un probleme de classement qui consiste a classer six personnages en fonction de leur niveau de ressemblance avec le sujet. L'examen des 80 protocoles, tous divises en sequences d'episodes de traitement d'information met en relief le cheminement des sujets d'un bloc d'activites mentales a un autre. Chaque episode comprend des composantes (verbalisations) qui peuvent variees d'un sujet a l'autre en fonction de leur utilisation ou non-utilisation et de leur frequence d'utilisation. Les resultats indiquent des differences entre les sujets des quatre etats d'identite. Il existe une relation entre l'etat identitaire du sujet et sa tendance a utiliser certaines composantes et la frequence d'utilisation des composantes. L'eleve du moratoire se livre a une recherche tres active d'informations jumelee a des comparaisons entre ces dernieres et ses propres caracteristiques personnelles. L'adolescent de la forclusion effectue un survol des informations afin de se former une opinion et prendre une decision basee sur une analyse globale mais succincte des donnees du probleme. Les jeunes ayant atteint l'identite realisee ou vivant une diffusion de l'identite semblent utiliser une combinaison des strategies propres aux deux autres etats identitaires. Les adolescents de la diffusion sont les seuls a indiquer qu'ils eprouvent des doutes lorsqu'ils rencontrent des obstacles lors de la resolution de problemes.

Although the moderator variable concept has acquired popularity among researchers concerned for the low predictive validity of psychological tests, no conclusive evidence has been presented for the greater effectiveness of moderated prediction techniques over the traditional multiple regression model. It was the principal aim of this research to investigate whether use of sex and five measures of personality and motivation as moderators would increase the size of correlations of a mental ability predictor with criteria of academic success. As behaviour may be sensitive to the conditions in which it occurs, the research also sought to determine whether use of school grades and standardized achievement tests as criteria might obtain inconsistent results. The Ss in this investigation were 246 males and females enrolled in grade nine at a public high school. They were, initially administered a battery of tests designed to measure mental ability, extraversion, neuroticism, and three aspects of academic motivation. Six weeks later, standardized reading and mathematics achievement tests were administered to the same Ss. End-of-year grades in english and mathematics also were obtained. The sets of achievement test scores and grades were combined to yield two overall criterion measures. A statistically significant improvement was demonstrated (P < .05, one-tailed) in support of using the extraversion variable as a moderator when predicting achievement test performance. The more accurate prediction was given for a subgroup with scores in the low one-third of the extraversion distribution. Joint use of the sex, personality and motivation variables did not enhance this moderator effect. In no case did the moderator analysis provide a significant improvement over the traditional multiple regression technique when predicting school grades. These research findings were interpreted and discussed in terms of their implications for psychological theory and research.

The purpose of the thesis was to determine whether or not relationships exist among belief systems and tenure status of junior high school teachers in a metropolitan school system, and their attitudes toward educational innovation. On the basis of previous theory and research it was anticipated that closed and open personalities should differ in their receptivity toward educational innovation. It was also assumed that tenured and non-tenured teachers should differ in receptivity toward educational innovation. Specifically, the thesis was designed to investigate this question: Do dogmatism and tenure status of junior high school teachers influence their attitudes towards educational innovation? The following three statistical null hypotheses were developed to investigate the above question: (1) There are no statistically significant differences on resistance to educational innovation scores between open-minded teachers and closed-minded teachers. (2) There are no statistically significant tenure status differences related to resistance to educational innovation scores. (3) There is no statistically significant interaction effect between tenure status and dogmatism when the criterion is resistance to educational innovation. The sample for the study consists of 302 junior high school teachers in a large eastern metropolitan school system in the United States. The measuring instruments include the Educational Innovation Attitude Scale, the twenty-item Dogmatism Scale, and a Personal Data Form. The data were analyzed by analysis of variance techniques. Conclusions drawn from the data reveal that there were significant positive relationships between tenure status and resistance to educational innovation, and between closed-mindedness and resistance to educational innovation. It is also revealed that dogmatism-tenure status interactions were not significant on the resistance to educational innovation measure. The findings tend to support the independent nature of dogmatism and tenure status as significant predictors of resistance toward educational innovation. Furthermore, this study shows that tenure status and Rokeach's theory of dogmatism can be empirically defined and their effects on innovative behavior investigated. As a result of this study, the following are suggestions for further research: (1) That replicative studies with samples of teachers other than junior high school teachers be chosen from different school systems; (2) That further investigations of dogmatism and tenure status dimensions in relation to operative innovations be conducted; (3) That further examinations of the interaction of personality factors and environmental conditions in relation to innovativeness be made.

Based primarily upon observation and also various research studies, it has been proposed that autistic children manifest a contact receptor dominance. Further, it is proposed that the abnormal response to sensory stimuli frequently observed in autistic children represents an arrest in perceptual development. Following the sequence outlined by Jones and Hart (1968) where they present the idea that the normal child develops from near- through mid- to far-space, an attempt was made to help the autistic child move beyond near-space employing sensory discrimination training. To this purpose, four autistic and four normal boys were matched according to their mean ages. These were later further divided into three groups: two autistic treated, two autistic control, and four normal control subjects. The aim of the study was to: (a) test whether there was contact receptor dominance (touch) in the autistic boys and distance receptor dominance (vision and audition) in the normal subjects; (b) whether training of the autistic experimental group could facilitate a shift in receptor dominance towards that shown by the normal controls. In the 5-month program, each of the two treated boys received 50 hours of training aimed towards development from contact to distance receptor usage. On both the pre- and posttests for all three groups an 18 trial training period preceded the 36 trials of bimodal sensory stimulation where two stimuli were presented simultaneously, left and right. Subjects were required to indicate from which side of the apparatus they perceived the auditory, visual, or tactile stimulus. Results of the study showed a contact receptor dominance in the autistic group and a distance receptor dominance in the normal group. After training, the results indicated a substantial change in the receptor dominance of the treated autistic boys. This change was: (a) consistent over both subjects, (b) greater than proportional fluctuations in both controls, and (c) in the hypothesized direction. It was concluded that the treated autistic boys showed less contact receptor dominance after training.

The purpose of this study was to test the postulated relationship between Uznadze's type of set and the ability to experience and communicate Rogers' facilitative conditions. Individuals who have a dynamic set as opposed to a static set tend to be harmonious, flexible, adaptable, able to process information efficiently and able to repress their own needs to focus on the needs of others. Such characteristics are similar to those ascribed by Rogers to more fully functioning persons who are more able to exhibit congruence, unconditional positive regard and empathic understanding. It was therefore hypothesized that teachers who possess a more dynamic set communicate higher levels of congruence, level of regard and empathic understanding than teachers who possess a more static set. No directional hypothesis was made regarding the variable of unconditionality due to a lack of theoretical justification. The variable of unconditionality was included in the study because it has been used by some researchers as a measure of Rogers' facilitative conditions. The measuring instruments used in this study were the Relationship Inventory developed by Barrett-Lennard and the Uznadze Set Test-Visual Modality. One hundred six teachers from two secondary schools in a large suburban area were administered the Uznadze Set Test-Visual Modality. Those teachers scoring in approximately the top one-third on set extinction on the Uznadze Set Test-Visual Modality were classified as more dynamic, while those teachers scoring in approximately the bottom one-third on set extinction were classified as more static. A minimum of seven students was randomly selected from a class of each of the teachers in these two groups. Students assessed their teacher's level of the facilitative conditions using the Relationship Inventory. A multivariate analysis of variance followed by a Step-down F procedure was utilized to analyze the data relevant to the hypothesis. A univariate analysis of variance was utilized to analyze the data relevant to the variable of unconditionality. Results of the multivariate analysis of variance showed significant differences between the two groups. In examining the Step-down F results, it was found that teachers who were more dynamic did not differ significantly from teachers who were more static on the variable of congruence. However, when the effect of congruence was removed a significant difference was evident on the variable level of regard. When the effects of congruence and level of regard were removed, no significant difference was evident for the variable of empathic understanding. No difference was found between the more dynamic and the more static teachers on the variable of unconditionality. Reasons for the above cited results were presented and discussed. It was suggested that the study be repeated using elementary teachers, using secondary teachers assigned to small numbers of students and using counsellors. It was further suggested that future researchers give consideration to the number of years of experience accumulated by the teacher as well as the leadership style of the principal involved. Finally, suggestions were made to utilize other scales to measure Rogers' facilitative conditions.

In this study, an investigation was made of Russell Stauffer's theory of reading development. Viewed from a psycholinguistic perspective, it was noted that his theory has a high degree of credibility within the context established by the psycholinguists. Essential to this psycholinguistic perspective rested the notion that evolving intellectual abilities and instructional procedures, by themselves and in interaction, exert considerable impact on the acquisition of higher order reading abilities. The review of the literature led to three hypotheses which form the nucleus of the study: (1) There is a significant difference in the acquisition of higher order reading abilities between older (grade 6) and younger (grade 4) subjects at the junior grade level. (2) There is a significant difference in the acquisition of higher order reading abilities between two different approaches to the teaching of reading at the junior grade level. (3) There is a significant interaction between age or evolving intellectual abilities of subjects and instructional approaches at the junior grade level in the acquisition of higher order reading abilities. As a result of the investigation, conducted with forty classroom teachers, support was found for two of the three hypotheses. The factor of evolving intellectual abilities had significant impact on the acquisition of higher order abilities, as did the factor of instructional procedures. It was found that, while reading could probably be introduced at any stage of intellectual functioning, older children acquired higher order abilities more readily than did their younger counterparts. In a similar direction, it was found that an approach to reading instruction which respects individual development within children produces significantly greater effect among children as they acquire higher order reading abilities. It was discovered that when these two factors were combined, the interaction lay in a direction opposite to that predicted. As the investigation evolved, it became increasingly more apparent that the classroom teachers had exerted a considerable impact on the effect of each of the two independent variables, particularly when in interaction. The conclusions included a consideration of the role of maturation in reading, recommendations regarding the use of prepared instructional materials and a consideration of the role of teachers in the teaching-learning exchange in reading. As a result of the study, it was concluded that maturational processes determine "how" rather than "what" a child will read. Within the context of this broad conclusion, it was suggested that reading can be introduced at any age, providing it is done so in a form commensurate with the child's level of intellectual functioning. In turn, it was concluded that a child begins to read when he first begins to interact with his environment, conclusions which may well digress from traditional views held by many teachers of reading. It was concluded that, since the objective of an effective reading programme should be to expand children's scope of reading activities and interests, prepared instructional materials serve an important role in any reading programme. In this respect, it was suggested that a unique blend might be achieved in the classroom between prepared instructional materials and language-experience activities, the language-experience providing the foundation for the development of reading abilities and the prepared instructional materials offering an opportunity for extended recreational and independent reading. With respect to the teachers of reading, it was concluded that, what children need most are teachers who see themselves as major resources in the reading process, people who understand the language learning process, people who appreciate children's competencies as language-learners.

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