The effects of verbal praise and token reinforcement on the selected WAIS-R performance of chronic undifferentiated schizophrenics.
Item
-
Title
-
The effects of verbal praise and token reinforcement on the selected WAIS-R performance of chronic undifferentiated schizophrenics.
-
Identifier
-
AAI9530919
-
identifier
-
9530919
-
Creator
-
Seligson, Robert Alan.
-
Contributor
-
Adviser: Philip A. Saigh
-
Date
-
1995
-
Language
-
English
-
Publisher
-
City University of New York.
-
Subject
-
Psychology, Clinical | Psychology, Psychometrics
-
Abstract
-
Schizophrenia has been reviewed in the literature as a single entity covering a vast array of psychotic symptoms. It has gradually been subdivided into unique separate categories. Although different reinforcement conditions have resulted in different levels of achievement with schizophrenics, the effects of verbal as compared to material incentives on one type of schizophrenia, chronic undifferentiated schizophrenia, on WAIS-R performance has not been explored. Further, the effects of different reinforcement paradigms on standardized test performance have also not been systematically explored with chronic undifferentiated schizophrenics on a reliable and valid measure such as a structured clinical interview measure. Clinical diagnoses that are made on the basis of unstructured clinical interviews are unreliable, and data based on structured interviews offers considerably more external validity relative to formulating generalizations (Saigh, 1992).;Subjects in this study were sixty adult chronic undifferentiated schizophrenics from a state psychiatric clinic. They were be assigned to one of three treatment conditions: a verbally reinforced group, a material incentive group, and a control. The rewards were (1) verbal praise and (2) tokens that could be turned in for chocolates, money, or a gift certificate at McDonald's. The reinforcements were given out on a continuous reinforcement schedule for each response in order to reinforce "effort." The verbal reinforcements and the tokens were given out after each response. The tokens could be traded in after the test. The control group was administered the Wechsler test according to the WAIS-R procedure but without any reinforcers.;The design for this study was a pre-test post-test control group treatment design with the following independent variables: WAIS-R examiner comments (i.e., verbal praise and neutral comments) and tokens (i.e., candy, money, or gift certificates). The outcome variables were the WAIS-R Picture Arrangement, Vocabulary, Block Design, Arithmetic, and Similarities scaled scores. It was predicted that there would be main effects for verbal praise and for tokens. The pre-test WAIS-R subtest scores served as covariates and the WAIS-R post-test scores constituted the dependent variables. The analysis that was used was MANCOVA. In view of the nonsignificant differences that were found, no follow-up tests were conducted.
-
Type
-
dissertation
-
Source
-
PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
-
degree
-
Ph.D.
