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Patterning of Behavior in a Concurrent Variable-Interval Schedule as a Function of the Changeover Delay
Get PDF35 leaves. Advisor: Larry A. Alferink.The problem. The present study was conducted to determine the temporal placement of licking in a concurrent schedule of reinforcement and to see how various changeover delays affect the temporal placement of licking.
Procedure. Rats were trained to press a lever for
food. Food was made available by two independent reinforcement schedules, separated by a changeover delay. The changeover delay was varied over a range of 0 to 8 seconds. A drinking tube was freely available in the experimental chamber. Numerical data were obtained on the frequency of
lever pressing, lick episodes, and their temporal patterning.
Findings. Changeover response rates showed a systematic change in accordance with the length of the changeover delay. Response rates showed a systematic change only for animals which were exposed to signalled changeover delays. These animals tended to engage in licking following the
delivery of a pellet, whereas animals exposed to unsignalled changeover delays tended to engage in licking following foodlever presses. Licking never occurred during the changeover delay. Changeover responses were maintained when their only effect was a possible delay of the reinforcement in a simple variable interval schedule.
Conclusion. A changeover delay is not a necessary
condition to obtain matching. The length and the type of changeover delay does affect the patterning of behavior. The increase in overall response rates with longer changeover delays, the occurrence of changeover responses in a simple variable interval schedule, and the absence of
licking during the changeover delay indicate that the changeover delay is a period of high probability of reinforcement which maintains high rates of behavlor.
Recommendations. It was recommended that a broad
range of changeover delays be examined in terms of their effect on the rate and temporal patterning of both the foodlever responses and the changeover responses
X-Ray Machine Tests and X-Ray Experiments for Undergraduate Physics Laboratories
No full text111 leaves. Advisor: Dr. Harry DowningThe Problem. In the spring of 1977, the Drake University Physics Department acquired an X-ray machine. There was a need to convert this device
to an educational tool so it could be used on an undergraduate level.
Procedure. First, the machine was tested to find its range limits. Secondly, numerous experiments were designed to use the X-ray machine.
Findings. The X-ray machine has a wide range of uses and can be used on an undergraduate level for many laboratories. Dosimeters and film are both very useful tools in the detection of radiation; however, considering each experiment designed, one method of detection proved more useful than the other for that given experiment.
Conclusions. The Drake University X-ray machine be extremely helpful for undergraduate students in the life sciences. The machine will provide many new experiments not available before and will supplement both physics and life science courses within the Drake University curriculum.
Recommendations. Recommendations are that the Drake University X-ray machine be used in the future for undergraduate physics laboratories for the life sciences. Also, it is recommended that the laboratories designed be used by junior-senior physics level students as introductory experiments
to X-rays and X-ray related phenomena
Community Organization for Litter Control
Get PDF23 leaves. Advisor: Margaret E. Lloyd.The problem. Many procedures have been used by
federal, state and local agencies to control the littering problem. However, few of these procedures have been adequately evaluated. The present study is an evaluation of one community's attempt to control its litter problem.
Procedures. A litter clean-up drive was planned by
a local neighborhood association in which residents were encouraged to clean up the litter on their blocks. Block leaders were identified who were responsible for organizing teams of residents from each of ten experimental blocks to clean up the litter on the blocks. Ten control blocks
which were similar in size and traffic flow did not have block leaders. All residents who attended a regular meeting of the association were informed of the clean-up drive and it was promoted by the news media.
Findings. Sixty percent of the litter which was on
the ground in the experimental blocks was removed while only 8% of the litter in the control blocks was removed.
Conclusions. The block leader procedure is an
effective way to get neighborhood residents to pick up the litter on their blocks as part of a litter clean-up drive.
Recommendations. The organization should use block
leaders for all blocks in future clean-up drives. Further research should examine ways to make the procedure more than 60% effective
The Drake University Library: A Centennial Overview
Get PDF82 leavesDrake University's Professor of Librarianship and Foreign Languages, J. Elias Jones wrote this historical survey of the University Library largely inspired by the preparations for a year of celebration, marking the centenary of Drake's founding in 1881
A Role of Intracellular Polysaccharide in the Sporulation of "Bacillus Cereus"
Get PDF40 leaves. Advisor: Dean A. HogansonThe problem. "Bacillus cereus" accumulates an intracellular polysaccharide under conditions of nutritional stress. The polysaccharide is then degraded as the organism begins sporulation. This study concerns intracellular polysaccharide and its possible involvement in sporulation as a source of carbon and energy.
Procedures. Ethyl methanesulphonate mutagenized
cells of "Bacillus cereus" 10702 were screened for the ability to accumulate glucose during growth with glucostat reagent. Glucose deficient mutants were assayed for the ability to accumulate poly-B-hydroxybutyric acid and intracellular
polysaccharide followed by comparison to wild type levels. Endotrophic sporulation capabilities with exogenous glucose were determined by the heat resistance of spores in both mutant and wild type. Dipicolinic acid levels in spores were assayed with modified Janssen reagent.
Findings. A mutant of "Bacillus cereus" strain T isolated was deficient in the ability to accumulate intracellular polysaccharide. The mutant produced low levels of heat sensitive spores. Heat sensitivity was dependent upon poly-B-hydroxybutyric acid accumulation and levels of exogenous glucose during sporulation. Inhibition of poly-B-hydroxybutyric acid accumulation increased heat resistance of spores subjected to sporulation in low levels of glucose
and CaCl2.
Conclusions. The data indicated that intracellular
polysaccharide supplied the sporulation process with a carbon and/or energy source involved in spore formation and heat resistance
The Feasibility of Training Teachers to be More Humanistic and the Training's Effect on the Teachers' Students
No full textvi, 82 leaves. Advisor: Edward E. HakansonThe problem. Research has indicated that human, person-centered characteristics in a classroom do make a difference. This study was concerned
with the effects of a midwestern intermediate education agency's human relations training program. The study determined certain effects of this training on teachers and its transferability to the teachers' students in a midwestern school
district.
Procedures. Ten elementary teachers (five teachers in the control and experimental groups, respectively) were selected from a midwestern school district. The research design was a nonequivalent control group design. The five experimental teachers were selected from the group of elementary teachers who had registered for human relations training in the summer of 1978. The five control teachers were chosen from the group of elementary teachers not taking training. They were matched with the five in the experimental group by grade level, achievement of students in the last three years. and instructional setting. Data for the research study were collected by video tapes and achievement
tests. Each teacher in the control and experimental groups was taped for one-half to one hour in the classroom as a pretest during May of 1978 and during April of 1979 as a posttest. The experimental group of teachers participated in
forty-five hours of human relations training in June of 1978. In September of 1978, all students of the ten teachers were administered the Stanford Achievement Test. Data only from the subtests of Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, and Word Study Skills were used. In April of 1979, the three subtests of the SAT were administered to the students of the ten teachers participating in this
study. The video tapes were viewed and rated by professional, trained raters from the National Consortium for Humanizing Education. The raters used the Carkhuff Scales to assess the pretest and posttest video tapes of the ten teachers for empathy, congruence, and positive regard. The ruters also rated the responses and actions of the students in the ten classrooms on the Taxonomy of the Affective Domain by Krathwohl, Bloom and Masia (for both pretest and posttest video tapes).
Findings. There were no significant differences between the mean gain score of "the experimental group of teachers and the mean gain score for the
control group of teachers for each interpersonal functioning variable: empathy, congruence, and positive regard. Also, there were no significant differences between the mean gain score of the students of the experimental group of teachers
and the mean gain score of the students of the control group of teachers for each of the subtests of SAT: Vocabulary. Reading Comprehension. and Word Study Skills. By looking at the percentages of responses and actions of the experimental
students versus the control students on the Taxonomy of the Affective Domain, there appeared to be no major changes in responses up the affecti
ve scale from preaasessment tapes to the postassessment tapes.
Recommendations. Replicate the study utilizing other evaluative instruments which may more accurately reflect the effectiveness of the program. The number of research participants needs to be increased and randomly selected from a population in any further research on this topic.
Research to determine the validity of the Carkhuff Scales in studies of this type should be carried out
Using Video Reporting as a Communications Modality for Federal Evaluation Reports
No full textvi, 90 leaves. Advisor: Howard TraxlerThe Problem. The problem studied was how the recipient of a training grant such as the Drake Rehabilitation Placement Specialist Program can best report its goals, activities, and achievements to a sponsoring federal agency. Traditionally, final reports have been made in writing. The study focused on whether a video reporting system could effectively convey both cognitive and affective information.
Procedure. A video reporting system was designed to serve the purposes of government reports. A video report about the Drake Placement Program using this design was produced. A second version combining the video report with a written summary was developed. The effectiveness of these experimental models was compared with that of the written report prepared by the program administrators. The participants in the study were thirty rehabilitation specialists from five rehabilitation state agencies involved in the assessment and funding of government grants. From this sample, three groups of ten were randomly selected. Group I viewed the video tape, Group II read the written report, and Group III viewed the video tape and read a summary report. A test was designed to determine the level of a viewer’s cognitive understanding of the program. A second instrument was designed to identify viewer attitudes toward the program. Subjects were pre-tested, presented one reporting model and given post-tests on cognitive understandings and attitudinal concepts.
Findings. Two analyses of variance were conducted. The first compared the mean changes of the three groups on the cognitive test. The null hypothesis, that there are no differences in comprehension of the project when presented in written form only, in video form only, or in a combination of video presentation and written summary, was accepted.
The second hypothesis, that there are no differences in a reviewer’s attitude toward a project when the report is presented in written form only, in video format only, or in a combination of video report and written summary, was rejected at the .05 level. A further comparison of scores, using the t-test, between the attitudinal test for the written and the video/summary revealed no significant difference. A comparison of the attitudinal test for the written and video only was significant at the .05 level in favor of the video presentation using the t-test.
The grant evaluators participating in the study were asked to make a professional judgment regarding the continuance or discontinuance of the program presented. In 40% of the cases those reading the written report recommended that the program be discontinued. Those reading the summary and seeing the video report responded negatively in 10% of the cases. None of those seeing only the video report voted to discontinue the program.
Conclusions. The cognitive material of a report can be communicated equally well in video format, in written format, or in a combination of the two. However, the study’s findings suggest that a video report will be more effective that a written report in changing attitudes or opinions.
The feasibility of a video reporting format hinges on the availability of production funds, access to video equipment and technical assistance. Advances in television technology together with a growing consumer market have established a trend toward lower cost and simplified operation. Government applications are increasing as a result.
The findings indicate that a video report can influence an evaluator’s opinion of a program. It was the consensus among the rehabilitation grant reviewers participating in the study that the video presentation provided a more affective understanding of a program than the traditional reporting system. However, they identified the need to include more hard date and critical assessments
The Relation Between Employee Attendance and Productivity
Get PDFiv, 27 leaves. Advisor: Phillip K. DuncanThe problem. Absenteeism has been identified as a
major problem among employees who are paid on an hourly basis. The use of operant procedures to correct attendance problems has been successful, but most programs have relied exclusively on monetary reinforcers. Furthermore, applied
researchers have yet to examine the relationship between measures of attendance and productivity. The present study investigated the effectiveness of non-monetary reinforcers on attendance and the relationship between attendance and productivity.
Procedures. Daily attendance feedback and social reinforcement were used to improve employee attendance. Workers' productivity was monitored concurrently to determine the relation to changes in attendance.
Findings. Both feedback and social reinforcement were effective in improving attendance. The mean rate of productivity among workers was found to increase slightly as absenteeism increased.
Conclusions. Non-monetary relnforcers can effectively control employee absenteeism. Worker productivity may change with changes in group attendance and such performance variables
should be considered in future attendance improvement efforts.
Recommendations. The present study manipulated attendance variables and measured productivity concurrently. More research is needed to further assess relationships between these variables. It would also be helpful to examine how attendance changes when production variables are manipulated
A Conductometric Study of the Reaction Velocities of 2, 4-Dinitrochloro, Bromo, and Iodobenzene with Piperidine in Dimethylsulfoxide at Various Concentrations and Temperatures
Get PDFxii, 179 leaves. Advisor: F.E. JacobThe problem. C. O. Frank and T. R. Berkland have followed the kinetics of the reaction of 2,4-dinitrohalobenzene with piperidine in ethanol using a conductometric method. L. E. Youngberg concluded that this method permits greater precision than either the titrimetric or spectrophotometric techniques which involve quenching of reaction aliquots. Significant reaction rate increases have been observed for certain reaction types when protic solvents are replaced with dipolar aprotic solvents, which are not readily explainable in terms of such physical properties as dielectric constant. Since data in dipolar aprotic solvents is random, the above system was studied in dimethyl sulfoxide to determine the applicability of the conductometric method, rate constants, activation energies and entropies, and halogen reactivity series.
Procedure: After checking the chloro analog in ethanol, piperidine and 2,4-dinitrochloro, bromo, and iodobenzene were reacted in dimethyl sulfoxide at three temperatures and two temperatures.
Findings. The revised average rate for the chloro analog in ethanol was 1.691 1 mol-1 min-1 ± .094. The average rate constants for the chloro, bromo, and iodo analogs in dimethylsulfoxide at 25.0°C were 142.2 ± 11.9, 111.2 ± 8.7, and 20.04 1 mol-1 min-1 ± 0.48, and at 35.0°C the average rate constants were 195.2 ± 20.0, 165.7 ± 19.2, and 30.62 1 mol-1 min-1. There are no comparable data by other methods.
Conclusions. The 2,4-dinitrohalobenzene series reacts 50 to 90 times faster in dimethylsulfoxide than in ethanol. This is in agreement with the increases reported for the 4-nitrohalobenzene series. However, the iodo analog of the latter series increased 350 times. The halogen reactivity series is Cl>Br>>I and Cl>>Br>I in terms of rate constants and activation energies respectively.
Recommendations. The design of an automated system of data collection could be investigated. The application of this technique to quantitative determinations and analysis of amine mixture also offers an area for study