The Contact Hypothesis (Amir, 1969) suggests that attitudes toward a minority group can be modified. However, attitudinal change depends upon the nature of the contact. The main purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the B.C. Wheelchair Sports Demonstration Team Presentation on attitudes of junior high school students toward physically disabled persons This was measured by the Attitudes Towards Disabled Persons Scale (ATDP) (Yuker et al., 1960) and the Modified Issues in Disability Scale (MIDS) (Makas, 1985). The treatment consisted of a one hour structured program that included contact with physically disabled persons and information about their disabilities. One hundred and thirty-one able-bodied students (ages 13-15) from four junior high schools in two British Columbia school districts participated in this study. Students from one school in each district attended the British Columbia Wheelchair Sports Demonstration Team Presentation. Students from the other school did not attend and were assigned to the control group. This research used a one-group pretest-posttest design with a posttest-only control group as a follow-up . four weeks after the treatment. Subjects in the experimental group completed the ATDP prior to and immediately after the treatment. As a result of the high correlation (r=.91) between the MIDS and ATDP with a prior sample of 15 year old students, both experimental and control groups completed only the MIDS four weeks after the treatment. All subjects completed the Social History Questionnaire (SHQ) (Makas, 1989) on each occasion. The SHQ gathered information on gender, birth date, place of residence and prior contact with physically disabled persons. A t-test for dependent samples comparing differences between pre- and posttest MIDS scores of the experimental group was not significant (p=.112 for a 2-tailed test). However, in the follow-up portion of the study, an analysis of variance of the ATDP found a significant difference between the experimental and control groups (p=.007). There were no significant interactions of gender, age or previous contact with treatment. The findings of this study show that able-bodied students' attitudes can be positively modified with an information plus contact program. Although the modification was not immediate, a delayed effect occurred. Three focuses of further investigations might include the following: a need for attitude modification research related to disabled persons particularly in the junior high school age group; continued reliability and validity testing of the MIDS, and a refinement of the SHQ to more accurately assess prior contact with disabled persons. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

Are there aspects of affect that can be generalized across different languages? Are there consistent patterns of associations between self-reported affect and personality across groups speaking different languages? In the present dissertation, I explore these two questions in five different language samples. Studies of current self-reported affect in English suggest that Russell's (1980), Thayer's (1989), Larsen and Diener's (1992), and Watson and Tellegen's (1985) models of affect variables can be integrated and summarized by a two-dimensional space defined by Pleasant vs Unpleasant and Activated vs Deactivated axes. To assess the cross-language generalizability of this integrated structure, data on translations of the English affect scales (N for Spanish = 233, N for Chinese = 487, N for Japanese = 450, N for Korean = 365) were compared with the structure in English ON = 535). Systematic and random errors were controlled through multi-format measurements (Green, Goldman, & Salovey, 1993) and structural equation modeling. Individual measurement models as defined in English received support in all five languages, although revisions of these scales in non-English samples provided an even closer approximation to the two-dimensional structure in English. In all five languages, the two dimensions explained most, but not all, of the reliable variance in other affect variables (mean = 88%). The four structural models fit comfortably within the integrated two-dimensional space. In fact, the variables fell at different angles on the integrated space, suggesting a new circumplex structure. In prior studies conducted in English, the personality traits of Neuroticism and Extraversion were most predictive of affect and they aligned with the Pleasant Activated and Unpleasant Activated states. To clarify and extend the previous findings, participants in all five samples also completed NEO FFI (Costa & McCrae, 1992), a measure for the Five Factor Model of personality (FFM). Again, Neuroticism and Extraversion were most predictive of affect, accounting for, on average, 10% of the variance. The remaining three factors of the FFM contributed, on average, 2%. In all five languages, the FFM dimensions did not align with the two predicted affective dimensions. Rather, they fell all around the upper half of the twodimensional space. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

Since the 1950's, researchers have sought unsuccessfully to identify a consensual psychometric structure of self-reported affect. One unresolved question, central to any psychometric model, is whether the structure includes bipolar or unipolar dimensions. For example, are positive and negative affect two ends of the same bipolar dimension or are they better represented by separable unipolar dimensions? In contrast to what has been assumed in previous analyses, a bipolar model is presented that distinguishes between two forms of bipolarity, each with its own conceptual definition, operational definition, and statistical properties. It is shown both conceptually and empirically that the two forms of bipolarity lead to different results when examined by traditional psychometric methods such as exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and the linear correlation. Furthermore, when the bipolar model is applied to previous analyses, the psychometric evidence that has suggested unipolar dimensions can be interpreted as evidence suggesting bipolar dimensions. Two studies were conducted to examine specific predictions of the bipolar model. Study 1 examined judgements of the hypothesized opposites of hot-cold and happy-sad. Study 2 examined judgments of affect terms based on a circumplex model of affect characterized by orthogonal valence and activation dimensions. In both studies the bipolar model is strongly supported. Furthermore, the analyses highlighted specific problems with current methods that emphasize sophisticated techniques based on the correlation coefficient and demonstrated the utility of more simple descriptive statistics. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

Bibliography: leaves 123-136. / Recognition of the need to develop black employees' interpersonal skills in order that they cope with the demands of the western business environment formed the backdrop to this study. The use of currently available self-report measures of assertiveness to assess behaviour change was questioned in terms of their psychometric properties and relevance to the black employee working in South African organisations. The aim of this study, therefore, was to develop a self-report instrument to measure assertiveness of black employees in work organisations. Another objective was the assessment of criterion-related validity. Information gathered from 12 in-depth interviews was used in the writing of new items and assisted in the modification of items from available self-report assertiveness measures. A preliminary questionnaire, consisting of 55 items was subsequently developed. After a number of changes, the questionnaire, consisting of a four-point Likert scale, was distributed to 80 potential respondents for the pilot study. A response rate of 37.5% enabled the analysis of 30 pilot study questionnaires. After further changes, 450 questionnaires were distributed through training and personnel managers from 10 major South African organisations sampling both the commercial and manufacturing business sectors. A response rate of 57% (240 questionnaires) allowed for the analysis of 234 usable questionnaires. The statistical analysis of responses was done by using both item and factor analytic techniques. After two phases of analysis a 20 item instrument with a three factor structure emerged. The first factor was labelled "anxiety behaviour in interpersonal situations", the second, "collaborative and complimentary behaviour", and the third factor "confronting behaviour". A sub-sample (n = 48) of peer-and self-ratings were correlated for each of the three factors to establish criterion-related validity. Results of this study supported the multidimensional and situation specific nature of the assertiveness construct. The value of developing measuring instruments suited to local conditions was also emphasised. However, the inadequate construct validity and reliability of the instrument indicates the need for further research before - application of the measure in decision making regarding the assertive behaviour of black employees.

In a study using 73 females and 30 male undergraduates, information on the basic dimensions of Millon's eight personality styles was obtained from correlations of the Millon Behavioral Health Inventory with Rotter's I-E scale and Byrne's R-S scale. Hypotheses predicting a significant relationship between the active-passive and repression-sensitization were generally supported. Predictions of a significant relationship between the dependent-indepenent dimension and generalized expectancy of locus of control were not supported. Implications of these findings for the efficacy of Millon's system are discussed, along with future research possibilities.

The purpose of this study was to develop and test an index of primigravidas' Performance Incongruency as represented by the difference between the scores on the two forms of the Schroeder Labor Locus of Control Scale (SLLOC). The first form measured primigravidas' expectations for control during labor and delivery. The second form indexed primiparas' perceptions of the actual control they had during their childbirth experience. The convenience sample of primigravida included 34 subjects from one prenatal clinic and 27 from another. Of this sample of 61, 50 delivered during the study and comprised the primipara sample. A descriptive design was used for validity and reliability estimates. The results indicated that the content validity of the pre-labor form of the SLLOC met the established criterion of 90% interrater agreement. Criterion validity estimates on both forms did not achieve the established criterion nor did the convergent-discriminant estimates of construct validity within the instrument. Convergent-discriminant validity external to the scale, however, approached the established criterion. Test-retest reliability estimates of the pre-labor form demonstrated stability (r = .81). The Internal subscale of both forms of the SLLOC was internally consistent with coefficient Alphas of .81 for the pre-labor form and .71 for the post-delivery form. The External-Chance subscale of both forms approached the criterion for internal consistency, but the External/Powerful Others subscale did not. The findings for the index of Performance Incongruency supported literature reports suggesting that primigravidae who had participated in childbirth education classes experienced less control than they had anticipated whereas those who had not participated in childbirth education classes experienced more than they expected.

Life events inventories have been extensively used to investigate the relationship between stressful life events and the etiology of disease. In order to elucidate conceptual and methodological issues surrounding the use of these instruments, a Life Events Questionnaire was constructed and administered to 100 university students. Subjects indicated which of 40 events they had experienced and rated all events on a 20 point scale based on the amount of readjustment judged to be required by each event, both for themselves and for a hypothetical average person. Results of a three-way ANOVA indicated that in the majority of cases, neither the gender nor the experience of the rater, nor the point of reference used in making the judgment had a significant effect on the magnitude of the ratings obtained. For ratings of events which did show significant group differences, the primary finding was that normative values appear to be more consistently applied to estimates of others' reactions than to those of the raters themselves.

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Call number: LD2668 .T4 1986 B42 / Master of Science / Psychological Sciences

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1986 M54 / Master of Science / Physical Education, Dance, and Leisure Studies