Neuropsychologists are increasingly asked to determine whether a patient may be malingering symptoms of a mild closed head injury. This issue is particularly salient within the context of civil litigation and the potential of significant financial awards. Patients' performances on neuropsychological tests have historically been assumed to accurately reflect their abilities and deficits. Optimal motivation and performance cannot be automatically assumed within the context of litigation. Moreover, comorbid anxiety and depression are frequently present in head injury patients and adversely affect the patient's performance.The frequent comorbidity of psychiatric and medical symptoms complicates interpretation of a patient's neuropsychological evaluation whether or not the patient is involved in litigation. This comorbidity may result in an inaccurate diagnosis, thus delaying treatment potentially causing greater harm to the patient.The present study was conducted to expand previous research that discriminated between simulated malingered and neurological patient responses to a neuropsychological self-report inventory. Additionally, the study investigated the, utility of the Neuropsychological Symptom Inventory in discriminating between simulated medical, psychiatric and malingered patient responses. Results indicated that the NSI was able to discriminate malingered responses from medical and psychiatric patient responses. However, applying a lie scale derived from previous research with the NSI did not allow discrimination between the malingered group and the psychiatric patients. Use of a factor solution derived from earlier research may offer not only greater prediction in detection of malingerers, but also evaluation of symptom profiles of medical and psychiatric patients. The NSI may provide an efficient screen for exaggerated symptoms as well as an indication of the level of general neuropsychological functioning of the patient when included in a neuropsychological evaluation. / Department of Educational Psychology

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether an individual's self-esteem would effect the amount of effort that person expected to expend in a task performing situation with an evaluator. Two social psychological principles of an individual's self-perception, the self-esteem and self-consistency theories, were the theoretical concepts upon which this study was based.The 403 subjects were undergraduates at Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana. The study was conducted during the winter of 1980.Subjects were administered two self-report questionnaires measuring self-esteem and locus of control. High and low self-esteem groups, each containing 70 subjects, were selected for participation in phase two.Prior to meeting with the evaluator, each subject was given a verbal cue regarding the evaluator's demandingness. Each subject was asked to determine the number of practice problems to be done in presentation for a task. The number of problems chosen constituted the amount of effort the individual expected to expend, or the dependent variable.Using a univariate analysis of variance, the data analysis showed a statistically significant interaction between the self-esteem and evaluator demandingness factors for the male sample. Four null sub-hypotheses were also rejected for the male sample. Due to lack of homogeneity of variance in the female sample, four revised null subhypotheses were tested using a non-parametric procedure, the KruskalWallis Rank Sums. Each of these sub-hypotheses was rejected for the female sample.As a result of the data analysis, the following conclusions were made: (1) High self-esteem individuals expected to expend more effort with a difficult-to-please evaluator than with an easy-to-please evaluator, and (2) conversely, low self-esteem individuals expected to expend more effort with an easy-to-please evaluator than with a difficult-to-please evaluator. The findings of this study support self-esteem theory.

No description available.

No description available.

Since the 1987 Brundtland Report, the development of urban areas has been considered a key determinant in achieving 'sustainability'. Greater residential density is increasingly advocated for and applied through policy statements around the world as a way of achieving this goal. Various tiers of New Zealand government are following international policy trends, developing programmes, protocols and strategies that promote sustainability and 'good' urban design practices through intensification, or concentration, within urban areas. Research shows that a policy framework of urban concentration, through greater residential density, is only successful where consumers and providers of housing support its practical application. Confrontation between policy and the market, and the acceptability of greater levels of residential density to residents, can jeopardise a policy's success. This research uses a mix of survey and interview techniques to determine the acceptability of "medium density" developments to residents, and to understand the practises and motivations of housing developers in Christchurch's "Living 3" zone. This zone is predominantly sited between the central business district and low-density suburban areas, making it ideally located to facilitate policies of intensification. The principle purpose of the zone is the development of medium-density residential accommodation, however greater residential density is relatively new to Christchurch where the potential for expansion is seemingly unbounded. The intention of this research is to assist the planning, production and performance of future developments. In conclusion, this thesis makes recommendations to improve the form and design of medium density residential developments in Christchurch's inner Living Three zone in terms of the market's producers and consumers.

Thesis (M.A.)--Missouri State University, 2008. / "May 2008." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-114). Also available online.

Thesis (M.I.T.)--The Evergreen State College, 2007. / Title from title screen viewed (6/24/2008). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-90).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [155]-162).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Kutztown State College, 1965. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2770. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [57]-60)

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 1992. / Also available in electronic format on the Internet.