Poor compliance with weight loss diets has consistently been a problem in the health care field. Prediction of compliance to diets for persons on the Air Force Weight Program could help the diet therapist with intervention planning with these people. Sixty-six active duty Air Force persons on the Weight Program were given a survey based on the Fishbein Model of Behavioral Intentions. The subjective norm, spouse, was beneficial in the prediction of behavior of following the diet prescription, R2 = 0.32, p = 0.003. The attitude towards their Air Force career was useful in the prediction of weight loss, R2 = 0.30, p = 0.002. The information received from this study may be valuable in directing consultation of active duty Air Force personnel on the Weight Program. Involving the spouse or significant other in the counseling, especially, stressing the importance of success, may increase the positive behavior of following the diet prescription. In addition, stressing the effects of the program on the member's career during initial counseling and upon follow up may also help increase adherence to the program.

<p> Poet David Ray imagines, "The poem is the altar for the dream" (1998, p. 176). This dissertation focuses on amplifying dreams with poetry from a collective perspective through the lens of archetypal psychology. The research was a collaborative effort of oneiric poetics nested in a dream group focused on engaging psychopoesis in relationship to archetypal value in dream images portraying the collective psyche and current cultural surround. </p><p> Hermeneutic phenomenology addressed the two central research questions: What are the dynamics that serve meaning making, or the transformation of meaning, when poetry is used to amplify dreams? How does this work develop further when engaged by a dream group aimed at collective meaning making? Phenomenological analysis described the essence of the lived experience of the co-researchers' engagement with writing dream poetry, moving from raw dream text through archetypal amplifications and associations in the group setting, culminating in dream poetry. Hermeneutics examined the shifting horizons of imaginal awareness that emerged from the intersubjective field of the dream group and how these horizons, infused with archetypal sensitivity, altered the co-researchers' subsequent relationship to the dream's images when creating dream poetry. </p><p> The research revealed the importance of a tripartite approach to dream work that is aware of the literal, psychological, and archetypal dynamics of meaning making. Thirteen dynamics that serve meaning making emerged from this tripartite analysis. Key among these are: conservation of the dream image view shed; building a relationship with and expressing interest in the image; liberation of the imaginal ego; relativizing the day-world ego; archetypal empathy; expanded awareness through commonality of archetypal dream themes; cultural awareness through a group dialogic regarding collective dream themes; and archetypal themes condensed in dream poetry. </p><p> The research reimagined the conversation between depth psychology, poetics, and dreaming beyond the personal or day-world ego's interpretations. This dissertation attends to the dream poet's pen and, by doing so, revivifies the imaginal ego, rejuvenates the poetic basis of mind, and refreshes psychopoesis as meaning-making agents in depth psychology. In a valuable move for archetypal psychology, this dissertation enlists these three precious premises in service of the sensus communis.</p>

<p> This study explored the possibility that social connection is one element that can contribute to persistence in a simple meditation exercise using Beary, Benson, and Klemchuk&rsquo;s relaxation response exercise with the addition of a social element. Participants were 82 females, ages 30 to 65, with English as a first language, naive (less than 2 months experience) to meditation, who were drawn from the general population. They were screened to exclude hospitalized individuals and those who have been treated for a psychological condition within the last three years. Participants were randomized to two groups. Each group received written instructions, with the control group receiving generic instructions only and the experimental group receiving the same instructions with the addition of a social element. It was expected that the group receiving instructions with a social element would show greater persistence (i.e., participate more often in the exercise and continue to use the exercise over a longer time span) at a minimum p value of .05 and with at least a small effect size. It was expected that attachment type would moderate persistence, so attachment type was measured. The persistence data were not normally distributed, so a nonparametric equivalent to a <i> t</i> test, a Mann-Whitney <i>U,</i> was used to compare the persistence means for the experimental group and the control group. No significant effect was found. The sample obtained had too few individuals by attachment type per group to permit analysis of moderating effects of attachment type.</p>

<p> An estimated 2.5 million children in the United States, under the age of 18, have experienced the death of a parent. Losing a parent to death is almost unquestionably the most devastating event that could occur in the life of a young child. Further, many surviving parents/caregivers report difficulty in communicating with children regarding the loss and its impact on the family. The proposed program &ldquo;A Heart Connection&rdquo; will provide support and coping tools to children and surviving parents/caregivers to help them in the adaptation to this profound loss. This grant application to the Foundation for Grieving Children Inc., will provide needed funds to provide evidence-based group therapy programming for both the bereaved children and surviving parents/caregivers through Comfort Zone Camp (CZC), a nonprofit agency for grieving children and families in Los Angeles, California. The actual submission and/or funding of this grant are not a requirement for successful completion of this project.</p>

<p> This study investigated the role of pre-deliberation leading to a group consensus-based decision in government planning. Six people from local municipalities in Skagit County participated in a 5-question in-person interview study process with qualitative measures. Existing literature on consensus decision making and informal pre-meeting discussions, identified in the study as pre-deliberation, is limited. The researcher was concerned with understanding elements from communication theory that support a communication process leading to group decisions in a recent government planning project. Therefore, five variables were measured in this study: needs and concerns, understanding the positions of others, facilitating group decisions, accountability, and successful partnerships. In analyzing the empirical data, the researcher found evidence to support the notion that pre-meeting discussions improve decision making. Future research may further address gender and age implications, and the role or impact of open meeting laws in government planning.</p>

This paper reports on the relationship between the perceptions of the native listener of personality traits of nonnative speakers and the grammatical errors and phonetic errors of nonnative speakers' speech. Research to date shows that native listeners do have definite attitudes towards "accents," and their attitudes differ according to what accent is produced. However, no empirical study has yet been reported investigating the parts of the "accent" that elicit a particular response. / In this study, speech samples were collected from three nonnative speakers of English, one Spanish, one German and one Arabic. Each speaker recorded a speech sample of English that contained only grammatical errors and another which contained only phonetic errors. The respondents were 122 randomly chosen college freshmen. Each respondent heard eight speech samples, the six from the nonnative speakers and a control of each speech sample type. However, the respondent was led to believe that s/he was hearing eight different speakers. While the respondent was listening to a given speech sample, s/he was filling out a semantic differential questionnaire; attributes such as good looks, leadership, humor, and likability were measured. / Results show that, when listening to speech containing phonetic error, native listeners differentiate between American English and each of the other language background speech samples, perceiving the American English speaker more positively; but not among the language background speech samples. In speech containing grammatical error, native listeners do not differentiate between American English and either German or Spanish language backgrounds, but do differentiate between American English (more positively) and Arabic, as well as between German (more positively) and Arabic. It is concluded that, with respect to phonetic error, native listeners have strong perceptions of persons speaking with such errors. However, speech containing grammatical error does not elicit as strong a reaction from native listeners. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-07, Section: A, page: 2492. / Major Professor: Frederick L. Jenks. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.

This study investigated the way in which expert and novice counselors process information through an information processing paradigm when formulating and confirming hypotheses developed in a counseling session. Comparisons were made between the ways in which expert and novice counselors differ in the hypotheses formulated. / Expert, intermediate, and novice counselors served as subjects in this study. The counselors were asked to record hypotheses (Thought-List) while viewing a video-taped segment of a counseling session. They were then instructed to sort their hypotheses into related groups. / The hypotheses were tested by five one-way ANOVAs and a MANOVA using multiple dependent variables to protect against the possibility of Type I errors. The results yielded no significant differences in the quantity of hypotheses generated between novices and experts, however, there was a statistical difference between novice and intermediate counselors, with the latter producing the greater quantity. There were no differences between groups for the time elapsed prior to the generation of the first or the last hypothesis. However, a $\chi\sp2$ test indicated that novices generated their first hypothesis within one minute of stimulus information whereas experts viewed at least one minute of the stimulus prior to the first hypothesis. Further results revealed that differences exist in the complex organizational structure employed in hypothesis formulation, with expert and intermediate counselors demonstrating greater complexity. Lastly, no differences were evidenced in the quantity of information recalled from the memory task. The use of the information processing paradigm to study the manner in which counselors process information to arrive at hypotheses seems warranted. Implications for practical application of the results and suggestions for further research are made. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-12, Section: A, page: 3630. / Major Professor: Gary W. Peterson. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

The lack of regular physical activity causes major health problems among Americans. Questions of how to increase the percentage of people who are physically active through physical education programs remain unanswered. According to research on motivation, it is evident that a successful fitness education model must include affective components which produce experiences in which perceived self-efficacy, internal locus of control, and value for activity and its outcomes are developed. We do not know, however, whether these motivation factors are indeed related to activity maintenance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether these factors are related to activity participation of college students. / The participants were 460 undergraduate college students in lower-division courses at a major southeastern university. The dependent variable was the students' amount of regular physical activity participation. The independent variables were their degree of self-efficacy for regular activity participation, outcome expectations of regular activity participation, internal locus of control for activity participation, activity drive, and outcome values of regular activity participation. Multiple regression statistics were used to analyze the data. ANOVA and Duncan range tests were run to determine differences in motivational characteristics between the least active participants and those who participated in average levels of activity. / The results showed a significant relationship between motivation factors and activity participation at the p $<$.001 level. The self-efficacy and drive variables contributed to the model, with self-efficacy being the strongest contributor. Factors which distinguished the least active from average level participants were self-efficacy and the drives for health, meeting new people, and excitement. The valuing of health, fitness, enjoyment and satisfaction, and physical well-being also distinguished between these groups. / The results of this study imply the need for further research in the measurement and development of self-efficacy in physical activity situations. Research is also needed in the measurement of other qualities in the affective domain and their relationship to activity maintenance. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-08, Section: A, page: 3049. / Major Professor: Thomas A. Ratliffe. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

A preventive public health social work intervention program was conducted to evaluate the effects of various community-based strategies designed to promote safety belt use by automobile drivers. Two separate multiple baseline designs were used to assess the effects of a conventional highway sign reading "Fasten Seat Belt" held by a female student to exiting drivers, versus the posting of the same highway sign mounted on the existing stop signs at each parking lot exit. A pilot study using an A-B design demonstrated that the sign was effective in generating statistically significant increases in safety belt use above the mean baseline. Study II replicated this result, and found that having the sign held by a human prompter resulted in greater safety belt use than simply mounting the sign. Study III replicated the previous finding of Study II about the comparative effectiveness of the two interventions. The conditions in Study III were reversed, allowing an evaluation of a possible sequence effect of the sign plus prompter condition followed by the sign alone condition, versus the sign alone condition, on safety belt use. Study III again demonstrated that the first sign alone condition was found to generate a small but significant increase in safety belt use compared to baseline, found the sign plus prompter condition to also produce increases in safety belt use compared to the mean baseline, and to be more effective than the first sign alone condition. The second sign alone condition, following the sign plus prompter condition, was found to be more effective in generating increases in safety belt use relative to the mean baseline, and to the first mean sign alone condition. / The results of these three studies demonstrate that traffic signs may be effective in promoting small but important increases in safety belt use. However, the effects of such signs can be made more salient by preceding their sole use with simple strategies designed to attract driver attention. This study also collected preliminary information on the safety belt usage rates of black and white, and of male and female drivers, and their respective responsiveness to the experimental conditions. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.) / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-05, Section: A, page: 1273. / Major Professor: Bruce A. Thyer. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.

The interface of psychology with law enforcement is a growing field of interest. A prime example of this interface can be found in the area of eyewitness identification and lineup construction. Results from lineups and eyewitness accounts are crucial to decisions made throughout the chain of prosecution procedures. The focus of this study was to examine how cross-racial identification affects the ability of law enforcement officers to construct fair lineups without exhibiting a bias toward their own race. / One hundred forty-one law enforcement officers constructed four photograph lineups with different targets: a white male, a black male, a white female, and a black female. Dependent measures were number of photos chosen and average time per photo surveyed. Seven variables were assessed through a multivariate analysis of covariance and a subsequent hierarchical step-down regression analysis. Between-subject variables were (a) race of the subject, (b) number of years of experience in law enforcement, (c) racial attitudes, (d) lineup experience, and (e) cross-racial experience. Within-subject variables were race and gender of the photographs. The results of this study indicate that law enforcement officers generally do not exhibit own-race bias. Only the conditions of high prejudice and low lineup experience resulted in own-race bias. Practical implications were noted and suggestions for a more accurate measure of own-race bias were recommended. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-10, Section: B, page: 4601. / Major Professor: Steve Rollin. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1987.